Notre Dame at Wake Forest
Time: 3 PM ET, Jan 25, 2014
Spread: WAK -2
M/L: WAK -135; ND +115
Betting odds courtesy of 5dimes
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are 13-6 on the season and 3-3 in ACC play ad will host the 11-8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in college basketball action Saturday. College basketball oddsmakers at 5dimes favor the Demon Deacons by 2-points in a contest that should be a closely contested battle.
Notre Dame has lost four of its past five contests, dropping games to NC State, Georgia Tech, Maryland and FSU. The FSU game was a nail biter, as Ian Miller of the Seminoles dropped in a game winning shot with four seconds remaining on the clock.
The highlight of the season thus far for the Fighting Irish has been upsetting then-No. 7 Duke on Jan 4. The Fighting Irish lost both its other match-ups to ranked opponents in OSU and Iowa. In the victory over Duke, Eric Atkins had 19 points and 11 assists, and Garrick Sherman contributed 14, and Pat Connaughton,had 16 points.
Sherman averages 14.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and Atkins averages 14.3 points per game. The Irish rely heavily on its starters with three logging 35 or more minutes per game, and the bench contributions have been sporadic. Steve Vasturia showed big in 22 minutes against Duke, but is averaging just 3.1 points per game on 15.2 minutes on the season.
Wake has won two of its past three contests with victories over NC State and Virginia Tech, and the loss to Clemson. The Demon Deacons have shown it can hang with the best. Wake fell 87-78 to then-No. 2 Kansas on Nov 28, but defeated the 19th ranked Tar Heels on Jan 5.
Codi Miller-McIntyre is having a great season for Wake, posting 15.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.1 assist in a team high 33.2 minutes per game. Miller-McIntyre played well as a freshman, contributing 8.1 points per game last season. But he’s grown more comfortable on the court, taking on a larger role without taking on many more turnovers. He’s not been shooting well from three-point range this season (24.5 percent), and it would help if he could hit more than 67 percent from the line when he;s attempting 5.7 per game, but these are areas he can address in his next two seasons at Wake.
Notre Dame Trends: OVER 8-2 in last 10 road games; 2-8 ATS in last 10 vs ACC; OVER 7-2 in last 9 following ATS wins.
Wake Forest Trends: 14-6 ATS in last 20 at home; UNDER 9-4 in last 13 overall.
