College Basketball on Saturday afternoon and we will see the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Purdue Boilermakers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game is scheduled for a 4:30 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised live on ESPN 2. Currently the odds for the game have Notre Dame favored by 6 points while the total sits at 124.5. Check out Sportsbook Spy to see who the Public is taking on all of today's games.
Free Analysis: Notre Dame has been red hot to start the season, winning eight of its first nine contests, with its only loss coming on a neutral floor to Saint Joseph's on Nov. 16 (79-70 in OT). The Irish have since ripped off six consecutive wins, most recently downing Brown at home last Saturday, 84-57. Jack Cooley has been one of the most dominant players in the nation, averaging a double-double in points (14.2) and rebounds (11.3). Cooley is tied for second in the nation with seven double-doubles and has four straight. Jerian Grant is second on the team in scoring (12.9) and assists (5.1) and has scored in double digits in seven straight games. Eric Atkins averages 10.9 points and ranks eighth in the nation in assists (7.0). The Irish are second in the nation, committing just 11.9 fouls per game, third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73) and fourth in assists (18.7). Notre Dame is also averaing only 10.8 turnovers per game, which is eighth in the nation after committing only three vs. Brown last weekend. Head coach Mike Brey is 5-10 against Big Ten teams during his tenure at Notre Dame.
Purdue has had a much more up-and-down start to the season, as it has yet to register three straight wins or three straight losses. The Boilermakers had won three of four games, highlighted by a victory at Clemson on Nov. 28 (73-61), but they fell back below .500 last Saturday with a disappointing loss at Eastern Michigan, 47-44. Purdue is shooting just 41.6 from the field, including 26.2 from 3-point range. The Boilers lead the Big Ten in offensive rebounding and own a +11.6 rebound margin. Terone Johnson is the lone Boilermaker averaging in double figures at 13.0, including 15.8 in his last five games. A.J. Hammons is second in scoring (9.3) and leads the team in rebounding (6.0). Senior guard D.J. Byrd hopes this Saturday is better for him than the previous two when he scored just two points combined in losses to Xavier and Eastern Michigan and missed all 14 of his 3-point attempts. Defensively, Purdue is allowing just 58.8 points while opponents are shooting only 37.1 percent.
Free Pick: I will look to take the Irish in this one. Notre Dame is the much better team and are poised to once again challenge for the Big East title, while the Boilers will probably finish in the lower half of the Big 10. Purdue is struggling, losing 2 of their last 3 games, which includes a road loss at E.Michigan and a home loss to Xavier. Notre Dame is very confident team and have won 6 in a row, with all 6 wins by double digits. This game should be close for a half, but then Jack Cooley should to take over and the Irish will pull away in the 2nd half.
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Basketball Betting Tips
Host Marco D'Angelo along with Johnny Detroit and Bryan Leonard discuss some betting tips for College and Pro Basketball.