The No.7-seeded Wisconsin Badgers play the No.6-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament at the Wells Fargo Center. The game begins at 7:27 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 25 and can be seen on TBS.
The Fighting Irish come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, narrowly defeating Stephen F. Austin 76-75 in the Second Round. Zach Auguste played a key role, recording his 21st double-double of the season with 16 points and 15 rebounds. The Badgers, meanwhile, are coming off a 66-63 win against Xavier in the Second Round. Ethan Happ had a solid game for Wisconsin, accumulating 18 points, seven rebounds, and one steal.
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength, as the high-octane offense of Notre Dame (10th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 117.0) takes on the top-notch defense of Wisconsin (12th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 99.8). Also, the Badgers commit the 11th-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 17.1%), while the gambling defense of the Fighting Irish causes the 20th-most (opponents’ TO% of 14.8%).
The Fighting Irish are looking to build on their records of 23-11 Straight Up (SU) and 15-16-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Notre Dame has been struggling of late. In the last 10 games, Notre Dame has only averaged 64.4 points per game compared to the 75.6 they’ve averaged on the season. The Fighting Irish are one of the best in Division I in terms of free throw percentage, shooting a superb .737 from the free throw line. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Notre Dame, which ranks 43rd at 1.35. Over their past 10 games, the Notre Dame defense has been playing lights out, only allowing 61.8 points per game, well under their season average of 70.5. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Fighting Irish, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .428.
In the other locker room, Wisconsin has a SU record of 22-12 and an ATS record of 18-16. The Badgers average 63.9 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 70.2 points per game during that span. Teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Badgers, who are the top team in the country in terms of three-point field goals allowed with 197 this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – ND, ATS Winner – ND
Notes
Wisconsin has allowed an average of 64.2 points per away game this season. Notre Dame averages 78.4 points per home game, ranking 99th in scoring.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish rank 10th for their offensive rating of 117.0. The Wisconsin Badgers have a defensive rating of 99.8 (ranked 12th).
On average, Notre Dame has 64.6 possessions per game and scores 1.170 points on each possession. Wisconsin has both fewer possessions (63.6) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.072).
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish average an effective field goal percentage of 54.1% this season. The Wisconsin Badgers have a subpar record of 3-5 when opponents have an eFG% of 54.1% or greater.
Notre Dame ranks 43rd in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.35. Wisconsin is ranked lower at 175th with an A/TO of 1.05.
On average, Notre Dame forces a turnover rate of 14.8%, ranked 20th in the nation. When Wisconsin turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a stellar 16-5 record.
