(511) NOTRE DAME vs. (512) KENTUCKY
Take: (512) KENTUCKY -11
One cannot help but be impressed with the way Notre Dame has come together. The Irish did themselves proud winning the ACC Tournament and now they have a chance to become the big story of the entire season by knocking off all-powerful Kentucky.
Great storyline to be sure, but I don’t see it happening. I’ve said all season the only team that can beat Kentucky is Kentucky, and that opinion hasn’t changed even a little bit. The Wildcats are an incredible collection of pure talent and they’re just huge to boot.
Therein lies the problem as I see it for Notre Dame. When peering at potential matchups as the brackets were put together, I circled this one as what I felt loomed as a blowout possibility. It’s just a matter of size to me. Notre Dame is talented and they really run some first rate stuff on offense. But they’re not big and they’re not physical and that makes the Wildcats a really bad opponent for Mike Bray’s outfit.
I’m not saying the Irish have no chance here. If they can light it up from beyond the arc again, as they certainly did in the ACC final against North Carolina, and as they did in the win against Wichita, Notre Dame can hang. But that’s anything but a sure thing against the Wildcats, who just happen to non the best three-point defense in the country.
I just don’t see how Notre Dame can have much success inside against the mammoth Kentucky front line. Unfortunately for the Irish, they are also going to be hard pressed to get many second chances here, so I’m not sure where the points required to compete will come from. That therefore could put the burden on the Irish defense to stifle the Wildcats and that just isn’t their strong suit.
The number is big, and the idea of getting doubles with Notre Dame will be very appealing to many wagerers. I don’t see it myself. On a pure power rating, I think a case for the Irish can be made. But the matchup is the overriding factor for me, and I believe Kentucky will eventually turn this into a fairly lopsided result. I’m laying the points with the Wildcats.
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Out of every game in every CBB tournament this season, I am most confident about the Arizona vs. Wisconsin matchup. It's my one & only Tournament Game of Year.