The No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers have lost the conference leadership to the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils after a loss to that team last Saturday. Not only that, the Cavs also lost the tiebreak with the Devils. Nevertheless, Virginia is a team to reckon with, and after beating the North Carolina Tar Heels, the Cavs will shift their attention to ACC cellar-dwellers Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Cavaliers are +650 to win the national title, while Notre Dame is +50,000 to pull off such a miracle.
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Betting Preview for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. College Basketball Game on February 16, 2019
Where: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville,
When: Saturday, February 16, 2019, 2:00 PM ET
Line: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (odds) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-11 Overall / 3-8 Conference)
After an embarrassing 62-47 loss to the Miami Hurricanes in South Beach on Feb. 6, the Fighting Irish returned home and got back in the win column with a 69-59 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. With a game against a national powerhouse in Virginia, the Fighting Irish could use some of the momentum they got from that win over the Yellow Jackets to pump some confidence into their system, especially since they got demoralized by the Cavaliers in the first meeting this season. The Fighting Irish suffered a devastating 82-55 lashing at the hands of Virginia at home back in January. In that game, Notre Dame shot just 36.1 percent from the field and 27.6 percent from deep. One player who shined for them against the Cavs was forward John Mooney, who had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. He’s been a machine for the Fighting Irish, having put up a double-double in four of the last five games. He is averaging 14.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game this season for Notre Dame, which averages the fifth-fewest turnovers in the nation (9.7).
The under is 3-1 in Notre Dame’s lat four road games.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (21-2 Overall / 9-2 Conference)
If only the Duke Blue Devils don’t exist…That’s probably a thought most Cavaliers fans have in mind, as Duke remains the only team that’s given Virginia a loss (twice) this season. But after an 81-71 loss in Charlottesville in a rematch with Zion Williamson and company, Virginia showed how resilient it is by beating the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill on Monday, 69-61. Holding down the Tar Heels to that point total was an incredible feat in itself for the Cavaliers, as North Carolina is the second-highest scoring team in the nation (87.2 points per game). The Cavs also held North Carolina to 35.4 percent shooting from the field, despite letting the Tar Heels get plenty of offensive rebounds (41-29). But it also should not surprise people who’ve followed Tony Bennett’s squad this season. The Cavaliers have the third-best defense in all of college basketball per KenPom, allowing just 86.1 points per 100 possessions. Virginia also owns the least generous scoring defense with only 54.4 points per game.
Virginia is 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in its last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia wins, 72-50.
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