It doesn’t get any better than the ACC. The competition is steep, with five top 20 teams in Louisville, Notre Dame, Virginia, Duke and North Carolina all battling for seeding in the NCAA tournament.
Two of those teams in Louisville and Notre Dame meet in a high-stakes matchup on Wednesday night. Which of these top teams emerge victorious? Read on as we give you everything you need to know heading into this intriguing affair.
Looking for more college hoops action to keep you entertained? Check out our complete previews for Kentucky vs. Georgia and West Virginia vs. Kansas.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Louisville Cardinals Preview
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville
When: Wednesday, March 4, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Louisville Cardinals – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame has yet to experience a losing streak all season long, but it’s in some danger of suffering its first. The Irish stumbled on offense as they suffered a rare home defeat 65-60 to Syracuse on February 24. They now take to the road next against one of the best defensive teams in the nation, Louisville.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]The Irish have struggled away from home this season, losing two of their last four road games, while going 1-3 against the spread. The Irish’s elite offense just hasn’t been as spectacular on the road. They’ve averaged 69.8 points over their last four road games. That’s almost 10 points less than their season average of 79.1 points per game.
Some of their struggles on the road can be traced to the inconsistency of their top scorers. Pat Connaughton (13.1 points per game on the season) has averaged 9.8 points in his last four road games, while Zach Auguste (12.6) has averaged just seven points. They may struggle to find their stroke against Louisville’s tight shooting defense at home (35.7 percent).
If there’s a player who can get Notre Dame’s offense rolling, it’s leading scorer Jerian Grant. He’s in the midst of a particularly excellent stretch of basketball, averaging 17.3 points and 8.8 assists over his last four games.
Excellent ball movement should help Notre Dame create openings for their shooters. All five of the Irish’s starters have shot 47 percent or better from the field this season.
The total has gone over in four of the last five games between Notre Dame and Louisville.
Betting on the Louisville Cardinals
Don’t look now, but the Louisville Cardinals are peaking at the right time. They’ve won three straight, and put up their best overall performance in an 81-59 win over Florida State on February 28.
The Cardinals shot 48 percent as they topped 70 points for the first time in February. Wayne Blackshear (18 points), Montrezl Harrel (16), Terry Rozier (10), Quentin Snider (11) and Anton Gill (14) all scored in double digits.
Gill, in particular, should be able to exploit Notre Dame’s less than stellar three-point shooting defense (34.5 percent, 198th in the nation) considering he keeps his hot hand. He made all four of his shots from downtown against Florida State.
Louisville also had a strong performance on the other side of the court. The Cardinals limited Florida State to 39 percent shooting, and forced 21 turnovers. Louisville’s defense has been tight over its three-game win streak, limiting opponents to an average of 54.3 points.
The Cardinals’ combination of devastating offense and unforgiving defense should cause problems for a Notre Dame side which has struggled against the best teams in the nation. The Irish are 3-4 against teams ranked in the RPI Top 50. Louisville is ranked 14 in the RPI standings.
The Cardinals have won seven of their last 10 at home, but are only 3-7 ATS in that span.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cardinals stifle Notre Dame. Take Louisville to win and cover the spread.
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