The No. 5 Duke Blue Devils (25-6, 13-5 ACC) clash with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (20-13, 10-10 ACC) in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tourney at Barclays Center. The game can be seen on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 8, 2018.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Duke Blue Devils ATS Prediction
The last time the Fighting Irish played, they beat the Virginia Tech Hokies, 71-65. Notre Dame made good use of their 25 trips to the charity stripe, making 21 of them (84.0 percent). Virginia Tech, meanwhile, was just 7-9 (77.8 percent). With 22 points on 5-for-13 shooting, Matt Farrell was the top scorer from either team.
The Blue Devils beat the No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels in their last contest, 74-64. The Blue Devils had a better free throw rate (0.145 vs. 0.057) and held the Tar Heels to an effective field goal percentage of 0.429 (below their season average of 0.534). Marvin Bagley III was the top scorer from either team with 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
This contest figures to be a high-scoring affair as two of the NCAA’s top offenses square off. Duke ranks third with 120.7 points per 100 possessions and Notre Dame is 37th (113.5). Ball security should be an advantage for the Fighting Irish. They rank 13th at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 15.1 percent). Conversely, the Blue Devils forced the 79th-fewest turnovers in the NCAA (opponents’ turnover percentage of 17.2 percent).
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Gary Trent Jr. scored a game-high 22 points and the Blue Devils topped the Fighting Irish 88-66. He also had 10 rebounds. The Blue Devils’ 48.4 offensive rebounding percentage was their biggest strength over the Fighting Irish, who had a rate of 28.2.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Duke Blue Devils ATS Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Duke, ATS Winner – Duke, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Duke ranks eighth in assists per game (17.5) while Notre Dame ranks 186th in assists allowed per game (14.0).
The Blue Devils average 5.4 blocks per game, which ranks 10th in the NCAA. The Fighting Irish rank 157th in blocks allowed per game (3.8).
Duke ranks 31st in steals per game (7.6) while Notre Dame ranks 164th (5.8).
The Fighting Irish average 23.2 three-pointers per game, which ranks 110th in the NCAA. The Blue Devils rank 234th in three-pointers allowed per game (23.6).
Duke averages 42.0 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the nation. Notre Dame ranks 109th in rebounds allowed per game (33.8).
Bettings Trends:
The Fighting Irish’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 5.2, down from 7.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Blue Devils have scored an average of 69.0 points per game (16.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 57.0 points per game (12.5 below their season average).
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