It will be a battle between Atlantic Coast opponents when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (19-10) welcome the North Carolina State Wolfpack (15-15) to Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Action begins at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 5 and will air on CBS.
The Fighting Irish lost big to Miami (FL) 68-50 on Wednesday. Despite the loss, Zach Auguste earned his 17th double-double this season with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The Wolfpack, meanwhile, are coming off a 73-72 win against Boston College on Wednesday. Anthony Barber shot 8 for 21 and led in scoring with 24 points.
Points at the line might be difficult to come by for the Fighting Irish in this contest. They are 269th in the nation in FTA rate (33.1), while North Carolina State is among the nation’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a FTA rate of just 29.4, 33rd in the country).
The Fighting Irish come into this game 19-10 Straight Up (SU) and 12-14-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Fighting Irish are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a stellar .474 from the field. Few teams in the nation have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Notre Dame, which ranks 26th at 1.46. The Fighting Irish will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent defensive struggles. The Fighting Irish have given up an average of 78.6 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 69.9 PPG.
As for their opponent, the Wolfpack head into the game with records of 13-13-1 ATS and 15-15 SU. The Wolfpack have controlled the glass with an average of 39.8 rebounds per game, 34th in the country. Taking care of the basketball is something the Wolfpack do very well, averaging just 11.2 turnovers per game.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time the conference foes played, Notre Dame won, but the win was not enough to overtake North Carolina State in the head-to-head series. Its record is now 1-2 SU. Furthermore, North Carolina State holds the advantage ATS with a record of 2-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – NCSU, ATS Winner – NCSU
Notes
“Notre Dame is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Notre Dame’s last 5 games “.
“Notre Dame is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Notre Dame is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Notre Dame’s last 5 games at home”.
Notre Dame averages 76.0 points per game (ranked 94th). North Carolina State, on the other hand, allows 73.4 points per game (ranked 177th).
In its last game, Notre Dame lost by a margin of 18 points. North Carolina State is 3-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Notre Dame has a 7-2 record in blowouts.
Ranked seventh, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have an offensive rating of 118.2. The North Carolina State Wolfpack rank 200th with a defensive rating of just 108.0.
The North Carolina State Wolfpack average 68.0 possessions per game and 1.099 points per possession. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish earn fewer possessions with 64.3, but they score more points with 1.182.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish average an effective field goal percentage of 53.7% this season. The North Carolina State Wolfpack have an abysmal record of 3-9 when opponents have an eFG% of 53.7% or greater.
On average, Notre Dame attempts 19.0 three pointers and North Carolina State attempts 17.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a solid 10-4 record while the North Carolina State Wolfpack have a losing 3-8 record.
North Carolina State, the 73rd-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.3 per game. Notre Dame does worse, ranked 110th with 4.0.
When it comes to offensive rebounds, North Carolina State ranks 11th. Notre Dame ranks 210th in defensive rebounds.
Notre Dame averages a forced turnover rate of 15.0% this season. North Carolina State has a 10-7 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
