Notre Dame vs. Syracuse Odds
| Notre Dame Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 140.5 -110o / -110u | +240 |
| Syracuse Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 140.5 -110o / -110u | -300 |
We've got another rematch in the ACC, as Syracuse and Notre Dame meet for the second time of the season before the calendar hits Jan. 15.
The Orange pulled out a one-point victory in South Bend back in December, and now they will look to complete the season sweep back at home.
Notre Dame finally picked up its first conference victory of the season on Tuesday night at home against Georgia Tech. After a rough start to ACC play, it will be interesting to see if the Irish can stack together some wins and get back on track.
Meanwhile, Syracuse enters this one coming off an impressive victory over Virginia Tech on Wednesday night. The Orange have been playing much better basketball in recent weeks, which is much needed following a sluggish nonconference campaign.
Let's discuss where the betting value lies on Saturday night.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Things have not gone according to plan thus far for Mike Brey and Notre Dame.
For lack of a better term, the Irish have been atrocious defensively. Just how bad? They rank 360th out of 363 Division I teams in percentage of turnovers forced, as well as 219th in total defensive efficiency.
The biggest reason for these struggles is due to a lack of overall size on the floor for Brey. Nate Laszewski plays the 5-spot for large portions of the game, and the redshirt senior is much more of a forward than he is a center.
As a result, Notre Dame doesn't really challenge many shots at the rim, and it struggles to block out when opposing shots do go up.
The flip side is the Irish have a multitude of scorers on their roster, and many lineups feature all five players as a threat to make shots from beyond the arc.
The shooting has been inconsistent, however, and the poor defense has largely stayed the same. That explains the current 1-5 record in ACC play.
All of that said, this is still a dynamic offensive attack that should be in line for some positive shooting regression. The Irish have defended a bit better in recent games and will need to keep it going Saturday to have a chance to win.
Syracuse Orange
It's been a little bit of an up-and-down year for the Orange, but Jim Boeheim and company have been playing better in recent weeks.
Syracuse sits at 4-2 in ACC play, so another win Saturday would continue to move the Orange up the conference ladder.
Joseph Girard III is a key for this team, as he can run extremely hot and cold from distance. When Girard is on, he gives the Cuse offense a different dimension and also takes some of the pressure off of freshman phenom Judah Mintz.
Jesse Edwards mans the pain for the Orange, and the senior has been productive with his back to the basket on the block. Sophomore Benny Williams is also starting to get healthier, which gives the Orange another capable body inside.
As noted above, the paint is where teams can really attack Notre Dame's defense, so Syracuse would be well-served to drive it instead of settling for outside shots.
Notre Dame vs. Syracuse Betting Pick
Seemingly every game between these two teams in recent memory has been decided in the final minutes, and I don't see Saturday night being any different.
As a result, I really like Notre Dame here getting some points as a road underdog. The Irish struggled against the Boeheim zone in the December contest, but I don't think that was due to a lack of experience.
This is certainly not Brey's first rodeo against the zone, and players like Laszewski and Dane Goodwin have played five-plus games against Cuse in their careers.
I think you'll see Notre Dame shoot it much better from distance in the return matchup, and as a result, the Irish will be able to keep pace with the Orange.
I think ND has a good chance of pulling off the upset on Saturday, but I will go the safer route and take the Irish catching the points in what should be a back-and-forth contest.
