Saturday afternoon college basketball and we will see the Miami Hurricanes travel to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The game has a start time of 2:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ESPN 2. Current Vegas betting odds have Notre Dame listed as 6 point favorites, while the total is set at 137.
Analysis: The Miami Hurricanes were once a ranked team this year, but that is no longer the case as they have gone just 4-4 in their last 8 games. They do come in off a surprising 90-74 road win over the Duke Blue Devils and a few more like that just might put them back in the Top 25. Miami is now 12-4 on the year, including 3-0 in true road games. The Canes are 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600, but just 5-12-1 ATS in their last 18 games following a ATS win and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record. Miami has been a decent offensive team this year, ranking 110th in scoring (71.1 ppg), 97th in shooting (45.2%), 72nd in 3 point shooting (37.1%) and 93rd in FT shooting (71.1%). The defense for this team has been solid, ranking 82nd in points allowed (62.2 ppg), 102nd in defensive FG% (40.7%) and 150th in 3 point defense (32.8%).
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have gotten off to a very nice start this year as they currently have a 16-2 record, that includes a 71-70 road win over North Carolina last week. The Irish did receive bad news before their last game vs Georgia Tech as Zach Auguste was suspended for the year. The Irish still shrugged off the loss of Auguste with a hard fought 62-59 road win over Georgia tech, which now has Notre Dame at 3-1 in the ACC. Notre Dame is 5-17-2 ATS in their last 24 home games and 0-7 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record. The Irish have been a very good offensive squad this year, ranking 11th in scoring (82.1 ppg), 2nd in shooting (53.0%), 11th in 3 point shooting (40.7%) and 66th in FT shooting (72.2%). The defense for this team has been solid, ranking 79th in points allowed (62.2 ppg), 78th in defensive FG% (39.9%) and 168th in 3 point defense (33.3%).
Pick: Going to look to the Under in this game. The Irish offense is a bit different without Auguste in this and should be a lower scoring team as the season goes on. They also may slow the pace a bit more just like the 2nd half of the Georgia Tech game. Miami already likes to play a slower paced game and while they did put up 90 at Duke, I don't expect that happen here vs a tougher Notre dame defense that has allowed just 62.2 ppg on the year. I also look for a bit of a letdown from that Miami offense after playing a near perfect game vs Duke. I look for no more than 130 points in this one.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for CBB Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
College Basketball Free Picks: Wyoming vs Fresno State Betting
What college basketball bettors need to know about betting Wyoming Cowboys vs Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday (1/17/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Ken Thomson with added insight from Dave Cokin.