Connecticut vs Notre Dame Predictions & Picks

Written January 22, 2009 by Jay Horne

uconn-notre-dame-012209 The no. 3 ranked Connecticut Huskies go on the road Saturday to one of the toughest college basketball environments in the country. South Bend, Indiana is home of the No. 19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and also host of an amazing 45 home game winning streak dating back to November of 2006. However, the Fighting Irish may be vulnerable after dropping two straight games from Louisville and Syracuse. The Huskies are among a cast of one loss teams in the country and they will look to add another quality victory to the resume. A resume that already includes 5 wins over the top 25. If the Huskies can pull off another impressive victory this week, they will have the chance to jump the Duke Blue Devils and possibly grab the no. 1 ranking in America.

Notre Dame has been victim of a tough stretch of games that feature 5 teams ranked inside the Top 20. The Fighting Irish were embarrassed last Saturday against Syracuse by a final score of 93-74 and have lost the last two games by at least 14 points. However, the Irish sport a strong 81.2 points per game that places them in the top 15 scoring offenses across the country while also sporting one of the best players in America. Junior standout forward Luke Harangody has performed marvelous in recent weeks and is the only player in the nation ranked in the top 5 in rebounds and points. In the last 3 games, Harangody has knocked down at least 25 points while pulling down at least 13 boards in all of those contests.

Notre Dame’s struggles over the past week have mainly resulted in their inability to stop teams from scoring. Louisville and Syracuse combined for an average of 90 points in the Irish last two defeats. The Fighting Irish and the Huskies both rank in the top 25 teams in terms of rebounding averaging 40 boards per game. However, Harangody has been responsible for the major portion of Notre Dame’s rebounds. Connecticut has two big men they can be big factors on the board in 7’3”Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien who are both averaging 10 rebounds per game. The battle inside the paint should be interesting to watch and the team that controls the glass will likely come out on top.

The Huskies have won 6 straight games since their lone loss to Georgetown on December 29th. Connecticut has been impressive over that 6 game stretch with an average margin of victory over 13 points while holding opposing teams to a mere 61 points per game. The Huskies are also shooting the ball very well knocking down 49.6% of their shots from the field that ranks 7th among teams in college basketball. Connecticut supports a strong balanced line-up that features all five starters averaging in double figures. The Huskies will need big performances from the entire team to bring down the 45 game home winning streak this Saturday.

A good way to beat a team in a hostile environment is by controlling the inside game. The Huskies have one of the strongest inside presences in the country with big center Hasheem Thabeet. Thabeet and Adrien have both averaged a double-double this season with slightly over 13 points and 10 rebounds per game. The two big men are both shooting over 50% from the floor this season with Thabeet knocking down over 65% of his shots from the field. The Huskies will likely be favorites this Saturday, but they will need big games from the big men to capitalize and get the tough win on the road.

Pick – Huskies

Saturday’s college basketball betting features some great games, including this one. Be sure to check our comparative NCAA basketball spreads to be sure you are getting the best line on every game you bet. You can also buy top-rated college basketball picks from any one of our expert handicappers.

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