The Miami Hurricanes will look to make it eight consecutive victories when they head to the midwest to take on ACC foe Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday evening. The Hurricanes are fresh off of a victory over the Virginia Cavaliers in convincing fashion on Tuesday, December 20th, while the Irish recently ended a three-game skid with a win over Jacksonville. The NCAA basketball teams are scheduled for a 2:00 PM EST tip-off from the Joyce Center in South Bend, IN, and will be broadcast on the ACC Network. There is no “college basketball injury report” officially, but both teams appear to be healthy for Friday’s contest.
There are few NCAA Basketball games today after a huge slate on Thursday. Of the games on the NCAAB schedule, this is one of the most intriguing. Here are your Miami vs Notre Dame Picks and Preview
Miami (FL) vs Notre Dame Odds
The Hurricanes enter the as a (-2.5) road favorite after the spread opened at (-3.5). The total is currently set at 144.5 points after opening at 144. The Hurricanes are currently favored on the moneyline as well though they are juiced quite heavily on a fairly even matchup at (-140). The Irish are paying out at “plus money” but barely at just (+116).
For those who may not be familiar with betting terminology, in NCAAB odds or any odds, when there is a negative in front of the number, it represents how much you need to wager in order to win $100; when there is a positive sign in front of the number that represents the payout if you were to wager $100.
Miami Hurricanes vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Odds
Despite both programs belonging to the Atlantic Coast Conference for a number of years now, the history is rather short. Friday’s meeting represents just the 28th meeting between the two programs in a series that dates back to the mid-1980s. The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 15-12 and have come away victorious in each of the last four meetings. The most recent came in February of last season when the Irish snuck out of Coral Gables with a four-point victory behind Paul Atkinson’s 23 points and 11 rebounds. Wong led the ‘Canes with 18 points.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Preview
Notre Dame was able to right the ship against Jacksonville in terms of notching a victory but was not exactly impressive in the contest, winning by just 16 points. In their three-game skid prior to that, the Irish fell to Marquette, Georgia, and Florida State. The Marquette loss is hardly a backbreaker, but there is really no excuse for losing to the other two struggling programs. Florida State is tremendously shorthanded at the moment as well and was forced to play each of their five starters 31 or more minutes in the contest.
Mike Brey’s team entered the season with one of the most dynamic duos in the ACC in seniors Nate Laszewski and Dane Goodwin. Both players are in their fifth season in South Bend, but for one reason or another have never been overly consistent. Laszewski currently leads the team in both scoring (14.3) and rebounding (7.7) while also representing one of the most dangerous three-point shooters on the roster at over 40% from deep. The 6’11 senior’s ability to shoot makes him one of the most intriguing inside-out college basketball players.
Freshman JJ Starling has lived up to his prep billing so far this season, averaging over 13 points per game to go along with 3.3 rebounds per contest. Goodwin has seemingly regressed for the first time in his career, averaging just 11.2 points per contest after notching 13.6 a season ago. Some of that could be attributed to the addition of Starling, however.
Cormac Ryan is currently having himself a career year with 12.5 points per game average while shooting a deadly accurate 43% from behind the arc. The one-time Stanford Cardinal guard is averaging a career-high 34.1 minutes per game as well.
Miami Hurricanes Betting Preview
The Hurricanes are beginning to look as if they are the fourth-best team in a struggling ACC. Jim Larranaga’s team only defeated Virginia by a final tally of 66-64, but the ‘Canes controlled the entire game, leading by as many as fifteen points with fifteen minutes remaining in the second half. Isaiah Wong led Miami in scoring with 24 points, while three others chipped in double-digit scoring tallies.
When it comes to NCAAB picks, guard play is always paramount, and the ‘Canes have excellent options in the backcourt. The Miami guards represent five of their top seven scorers and have led to their ascent up the college basketball standings.
Wong once again leads the club in scoring at over 17 points per game while also being the leading assist man with over 4.5 helpers per ballgame. Jordan Miller, a 6’ 6 guard that plays more of a hybrid forward position, is currently the second-leading scorer for Larranaga at 14.8 points per game and is also the team’s second-leading rebounder at six per contest.
The front court is where things get a little thin for the Hurricanes as they are basically relying upon Miller to play larger than he is alongside Norchad Omier. The former Arkansas State rebounding machine has not missed a beat since “transferring up” and currently leads Miami in rebounding at nearly ten rips per contest to go along with his 13.5 points per game. Omier also leads this undersized roster in blocked shots, with 18 on the season.
Miami vs Notre Dame Betting Preview
When evaluating the metrics and trends to make your Miami vs Notre Dame picks, what sticks out the most is that the Hurricanes are not great at keeping opponents off of the offensive glass. Thankfully for them, Notre Dame currently ranks 353rd in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage.
Miami has an incredibly potent offense and apparently enjoys playing on the road. In true road games this season, the ‘Canes are 2-0 against the spread and outperforming the number by +7.8 points per game.
There is no money in a losing wager so take the Hurricanes on the moneyline. If you expect Larranaga’s club to win the game, you should expect them to be capable of covering the 2.5 points as well. The total is the largest question mark of Miami vs Notre Dame picks, but the teams have combined to go under in 15 of their 26 games.
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