Offense meets defense when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (16-11, 6-8 ACC) welcome the Miami Hurricanes (18-8, 7-7 ACC) to Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, February 19, 2018, and will air on ESPN.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 137 points with Notre Dame set as a 4-point favorite.
Miami Hurricanes at Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Prediction
The Hurricanes are hoping for a better outcome after their 62-55 loss to the Syracuse Orange in their last matchup. Syracuse’s 0.529 effective field goal percentage was their largest advantage over Miami, who had a rate of 0.398. The Orange’s mark was above their season average of 0.477, while the Hurricanes’ was below their season average of 0.532. Chris Lykes was Miami’s high scorer with 14 points on 4-for-16 shooting.
In the Fighting Irish’s last matchup, they were victorious over the Boston College Eagles, 84-67. Notre Dame had an effective field goal percentage of 0.776 (above their season average of 0.521). Boston College, on the other hand, held the Fighting Irish to an offensive rebounding percentage of 9.5 (below their season average of 30.7). Matt Farrell was the top scorer from either team with 37 points on 12-for-17 shooting.
This battle pits one of the NCAA’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses. Notre Dame currently ranks 33rd in offensive efficiency and Miami is 27th in defensive efficiency. Also, the Hurricanes rank 303rd in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.200), while the Fighting Irish rank second in opponents’ FTA rate (0.156).
Miami is 18-8 straight up (SU), but they are just 8-12-1 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when predicting totals of Hurricanes games, with 11 unders compared to 10 overs.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame is 16-11 SU and 10-12 ATS. Contrary to Miami, Fighting Irish games have a slight tendency to go over the O/U total (54.5 percent).
Farrell has averaged 15.6 points and 5.8 assists over the last five games for Notre Dame.
After the Fighting Irish won the only contest against the Hurricanes last season, 67-62, these teams will battle for the first time this year. Notre Dame had a much better turnover percentage (7.6 vs. 15.8). Miami, meanwhile, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (44.2 vs. 33.3).
Miami Hurricanes at Notre Dame Fighting Irish Free Pick
College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Notre Dame, ATS Winner – Miami, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Miami is 7-6-1 ATS on the road with 8 unders and 6 overs.
At home, Notre Dame is 4-5 ATS with 7 overs and 2 unders.
Miami ranks 57th in blocks per game (4.1) while Notre Dame ranks 139th in blocks allowed per game (3.7).
The Fighting Irish rank 33rd in steals allowed per game (5.1) while the Hurricanes rank 69th (5.7).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Miami is 1-4 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Notre Dame is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Hurricanes have been outscored by an average of 0.6 points in their last five games. On the season, Miami has defeated opponents by an average of 7.7 points.
During their last five games, the Fighting Irish have scored an average of 77.6 points per game (1.2 above their season average) and allowed an average of 76.0 points per game (7.4 above their season average).
