The No. 13 ranked Louisville Cardinals hit the road for the first time since coughing up a win in Lexington on Saturday afternoon when they head for South Bend in hopes of handing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a fifth straight defeat in the recent rivalry. Mike Brey’s troops return home off spitting the bit in Raleigh where they had the NC State Wolfpack on the ropes but failed to administer the knockout blow and suffered both SU and ATS defeats at online sportsbooks because of it. With the Irish winless at home in ACC play and the Cardinals looking to remain undefeated on the conference road, huge efforts are expected to be put forth from both squads making points likely tougher to come by.
This ACC showdown is set to go down on Saturday, January 11, 2020. Tip-off will be at 2 p.m. ET from the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, IN. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
CBB Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
The Redbirds bounced back nicely off successive defeats to Kentucky and Florida State by sweeping the season rivalry from the Miami Hurricanes last time out. The Ville had themselves a field day picking on an extremely deficient Canes defense by shooting 45 percent from the field which included a 6-of-15 showing from beyond the arc. Jordan Nwora led all scorers with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and will hit the hardwood on Saturday having logged double-doubles in three of his last four games. He’s sure to be a pest for the Irish to deal with as the Cardinals are out to secure their third win through four tries away from the KFC Yum! Center as the nation’s No. 5 ranked team per the current Pomeroy Ratings.
Don’t be too impressed with Notre Dame’s 10-4 record. It’s just 6-8-1 ATS and five of those triumphs came against the likes of mighty Robert Morris, Howard, Presbyterian, Fairleigh Dickinson and Alabama A&M. Their best wins to date have come against UCLA and Syracuse and each is currently ranked No. 124 and No. 72 respectively at kenpom.com. With that, it should hardly come as a shock that their schedule strength ranks out amongst the worst in the ACC with it ringing in at No. 262. For comparison’s sake, Louisville owns the No. 106 toughest schedule. Having already incurred losses to every team with a pulse its run up against, the prospects of coming out with a win on Saturday are slim at best.
Matchup to Watch
How on earth is Notre Dame going to score in this matchup? When breaking the teams down on paper, you can’t help but think it’s going to be a long afternoon for John Mooney and his mates. The Fighting Irish tickle the twine for just over 75 points per game (No. 96); keep in mind the schedule strength already covered up above! Louisville concedes an average of just 61 points per game good for the No. 28 ranked scoring defense in the country. While ND has been better than average connecting from long range (No. 110), the Cardinals length has limited the opposition to just 20.8 percent of points scored from beyond the arc (No. 150). It also ranks No. 36 in two-point defense. Again I ask, how is a Fighting Irish team that’s averaged 73.3 points per game in ACC play going to contend with the Cardinals at the offensive end of the court? The short answer; plain and simple - they’re not!
Prediction
As stated, Louisville has owned the recent rivalry in taking four straight and covering three of those matchups against the closing college basketball betting odds; the under went 2-1-1. In the pair of meetings last season, the Cardinals held the Irish to an average of just 57 points per game. I’d be shocked if Notre Dame was able to muster 60+ points in this skirmish. While it’s possible Prentiss Hubb remains scorching hot from beyond the arc after lighting the Orange and Wolfpack up the last two games with 3-point defense being the Achilles Heel of the Cardinals defense, I’ll be betting against it occurring. Louisville has held its opponents to an average of just 52.3 points in its last six victories, and I expect its defensive prowess to dominate the festivities at Purcell Pavilion on Saturday. With that, I’ll be taking a long look at hitting the under and suggest you do as well.
College Basketball Pick: Louisville 75, Notre Dame 60
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