2011 NCAA Tournament Third Round – Southwest Region
#2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. #10 Florida State Seminoles, United Center, Chicago, IL
Sunday, March 20, 2011, 9:40 pm Eastern, TV: TBS
Opening Line: Notre Dame -5
Current Line: Notre Dame -5
Opening Total: 133.5
Current Total: 133
Money Line: Notre Dame -230 / Florida State +190
The best way to beat a great shooting team is with a great defensive team, so the 10th-seeded Florida State Seminoles (22-10) should be ready for the second-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish (27-6) on Sunday when they meet in this Southwest Region third-round matchup at the United Center in Chicago. The Seminoles are one of the few teams in the NCAA tournament field that is capable of holding the Fighting Irish (-5) in check, as they lead the nation in field-goal percentage defense at 36 percent.
Florida State knows Notre Dame can shoot lights out against any opponent at any time. But the Seminoles also know they are facing a team that has advanced to the second weekend of the Big Dance only once in the last 24 years. They will try to use their size and defensive prowess to slow down what is now the highest-seeded Big East Conference team remaining in the tournament after top seed Pittsburgh lost 71-70 to #9 Butler on Saturday.
“They’re as tough as any 10 seed that I’ve seen,” Notre Dame’s Tim Abromaitis said about Florida State. “They’re as big and physical as pretty much any team in the country. Obviously, that’s going to pose a lot of issues for us.”
Abromaitis is one of five senior starters for the Fighting Irish and has been instrumental in the team’s play lately, averaging nearly 20 points in the last seven games. He scored 14 points in the team’s 69-56 win over #15 Akron on Friday in the second round while Big East Player of the Year Ben Hansbrough led the way with 15.
The Seminoles are coming off a dominant defensive performance in a 57-50 victory against #7 Texas A&M in the second round, which saw the return of leading scorer and rebounder Chris Singleton. The 6-foot-9 Singleton played for the first time since February 12 due to a broken foot and was limited to 16 minutes after picking up four fouls. He scored five points and grabbed two rebounds and could be a bigger factor against Notre Dame if he can just stay on the floor.
Florida State has held its last three opponents to less than 55 points per game with the UNDER cashing each time. The Seminoles have covered the spread in each of their last four games despite going 2-2 straight up. The Fighting Irish have scored 70 points or more in four of their past five with the OVER going 3-1-1 during that stretch. They have failed to cover their last two following a five-game winning streak that also saw them go 4-1 against the spread.
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