The Virginia Cavaliers (+700 to win the national title) stumbled last week, as they suffered their first loss of the 2018-19 NCAA campaign with a setback at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils. Virginia will look to bounce back this week in which it does not have a ranked opponent on schedule. As for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+30,000), they will face their toughest date yet of the season and will look to score a resume-boosting victory.
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Betting Preview for the Virginia Cavaliers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish College Basketball Game on January 26, 2019
Where: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame
When: Saturday, January 26, 2019, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Virginia Cavaliers (odds) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (16-1 Overall / 4-1 Conference)
The Cavaliers suffered their first loss of the season against the Duke Blue Devils over the weekend in Durham to the tune of a close 72-70 score. After that, Virginia will take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at home before packing its bags for a trip to Notre Dame. Kyle Guy said that the Duke game was like playing against an NBA team, but he surely won’t find any use for that comment again for either matchup with Wake Forest and Notre Dame, which are among the worst teams in the conference. The game against the Fighting Irish should highlight the Cavs’ strengths once again. Virginia still owns the best defenses in the nation with just 52.9 points allowed per game, while its offense is ranked third by KenPom with 121.6 points per 100 possessions. Notre Dame are outside KenPom’s top 60 rankings in both offense and defense, so Virginia is expected to come away with a win in this game.
The Cavaliers are 9-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-7 Overall / 1-4 Conference)
Notre dame lost back -to-back games last week to two ranked teams in No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels and No. 17 NC State Wolfpack by a combined total of 10 points. That slim margin supports the idea that the Fighting Irish are perhaps stronger than their record. In their most recent outing prior to Tuesday’s matchup with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on the road, John Mooney and Dane Goodwin led the Fighting Irish with 19 points apiece. They showed aggressiveness and willingness to force the action against NC State, as the Fighting Irish went to the foul line 24 times and made 18 free throws compared to the Wolfpack’s line of 10-for-15 from the charity stripe. Nevertheless, the Fighting Irish need to sustain that kind of tenacity against Virginia’s stout defense. Notre Dame is also going to show that same attitude on the glass to give itself extra scoring chances. It is 37th in the nation with 38.8 rebounds per game and 50th overall with 10.3 offensive boards per contest.
The Fighting Irish are 2-0 ATS in their last two games against Virginia.
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia wins, 80-62
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