The Liberty Flames (3-11) travel to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-3) in what should be a low-scoring game. Action begins at 5:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 29 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Fighting Irish enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Youngstown State 87-78 in their last matchup. Zach Auguste played a pivotal role, recording his seventh double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Flames, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their ugly 85-57 loss against VCU in their last game. Ryan Kemrite led the game in scoring with 17 points.
Half-court execution will be of utmost importance when two of the nation’s slowest-paced teams square off. Notre Dame ranks 325th in possessions per game (65.7), while Liberty is 338th (64.5). Moreover, foul-shooting opportunities could prove to be quite rare for the Flames. They are 315th in the nation in FTA rate (29.2), while the Fighting Irish are among the nation’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 22.3, ranking fourth in the country).
This one isn’t expected to be close when Notre Dame, a substantial 30-point favorite, takes on Liberty. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 137 points. The Fighting Irish have gone 8-3 Straight Up (SU) and 4-5 Against The Spread (ATS). The Fighting Irish are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .495 from the field. Notre Dame is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.61.
Predictions: SU Winner – ND, ATS Winner – ND, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Notre Dame’s last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Notre Dame’s last 5 games at home.
Liberty lost its last game by a 28-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Notre Dame is 4-0. Liberty is 2-3 in blowouts this season.
On average, Notre Dame has 65.7 possessions per game and scores 1.212 points on each possession. Liberty has both fewer possessions (64.5) and scores fewer points during those possessions (.975).
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking 25th in the country with an eFG% of 56.5%. When their opponents record a similar or higher eFG%, the Liberty Flames are winless with a 0-5 record.
On average, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempt 21.0 three point field goals per game and the Liberty Flames attempt 21.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 three pointers, Notre Dame has a superb record of 6-1, while Liberty has an abysmal record of 1-7.
The 17th-ranked team in the category, Notre Dame has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.61 this season. Liberty ranks outside the top 100 at 264th with an A/TO of .89.
The Liberty Flames make an average of 5.4 steals per game. When the Notre Dame Fighting Irish give up 5 or more steals, they are a winning 5-3.
