Connecticut Huskies vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Connecticut (-1.5)
Game Total Line: (131)
(wagering lines available at Betonline)

Saturday’s college hoops action kicks-off with a huge Big East showdown between the Connecticut Huskies and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion in the Joyce Center. Game time is set for 11 a.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN 2.

Connecticut snapped a rare two-game losing streak with a much-needed 64-57 victory over West Virginia as a six-point home favorite this past Monday night. The win lifted its overall record to 13-3 straight-up and 5-7 against the spread. The Huskies are now 3-2 SU in conference play and the total has stayed ‘under’ in eight of 12 games.

Jeremy Lamb continues to lead the way for Connecticut with 18.6 points a game while shooting 51.4 percent from the floor and 84.6 percent from the free-throw line. The Huskies are averaging 72.3 points a game while allowing an average of 63.2. They are shooting a healthy 48.2 percent from the field and averaging 38.4 rebounds a game.

Notre Dame has been up and down over the past few weeks, but has looked sharp its last two times out with a hard-fought 67-65 double-overtime victory over then-No.10 Louisville as a 12.5-point road underdog and a solid 60-49 thrashing of South Florida this past Tuesday as a 5.5-point home favorite. The Irish are now 11-6 SU overall, but just 3-6-2 ATS. They are a perfect 10-0 SU at home this season and the total has stayed ‘under’ in eight of 11 games overall.

The Irish’s overall numbers are not that impressive with a 43.9 field goal percentage and an average of 34.5 rebounds a game. The loss of Tim Abromaitis just two games into the season has certainly not helped the cause, but the team has remained scrappy with Jerian Grant, Eric Atkins, and Jack Cooley picking-up the slack. All three are scoring in double figures and Cooley leads the team in rebounds with 8.4 a game.

The Huskies are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games following an ATS win and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 conference games. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 14 of their last 19 games overall.

The Irish are 3-9-2 ATS in their last 14 games, but 23-9 ATS in their last 32 games in the Big East. The total has stayed ‘under’ in their last seven games at home.

Head-to-head, the series has been evenly split at 5-5 ATS over the last 10 meetings, but Notre Dame has won the last three games SU and is 2-1 ATS. The total has gone 1-1-1 in these three games.

Against the Spread Game Pick

This game should remain tight right down to the final buzzer, but look for UConn’s advantage underneath to be the difference.
Take the Connecticut Huskies -1.5 at Bovada