Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Providence Friars, Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, RI
Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 7:00 pm Eastern, TV: ESPN3
Opening Line: Notre Dame -4
Current Line: Notre Dame -4
Opening Total: 150
Current Total: 150
Money Line: Notre Dame -190 / Providence +160
The ninth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (21-5, 10-4 Big East) saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end over the weekend and will try to get back on track when they visit the Providence Friars (14-13, 3-11) on Wednesday. The Fighting Irish (-4) suffered a 72-58 loss at West Virginia on Saturday and now face a Providence team looking to break a four-game losing streak.
The Friars have gone 1-3 against the spread during their skid with the OVER cashing three times. They are coming off a 93-81 home loss to Cincinnati in overtime on Saturday, getting outscored 20-8 in the extra session after rallying back in the second half. The Bearcats blew a 16-point lead in the last eight minutes of regulation and trailed 73-72 with 33 second left when Marshon Brooks scored two of his game-high 27 points. Cincy forced OT by making one of two free throws.
Despite the loss, Brooks continues to be an offensive force during his senior season as the Big East’s leading scorer, totaling 20 points or more in the last nine games. He is averaging nearly 27 points per game during that stretch and also leads the team in rebounding with 7.4 boards per game.
Notre Dame has a top scorer who is also a top candidate for Big East Player of the Year in Ben Hansbrough, who scored a team-high 19 points in the loss to the Mountaineers. However, Hansbrough struggled with his shooting against West Virginia, making just 7 of 18 shots before fouling out. He has scored in double figures in the past nine games, averaging a little over 20 points as the Irish have gone 7-2 straight-up and 6-3 ATS.
The team had won its previous three away from home in conference play but fell to 3-4 in true road games this season. The good news for Notre Dame is that the road team is 8-2 ATS in the past 10 meetings with Providence. The teams have not faced each other since 2009 though, and the Irish have won seven straight in the series SU.
Bettors could also expect a high-scoring game between these two squads, as the OVER has cashed in the last six meetings. The winner of those games has scored at least 81 points while the loser has totaled 74 or more each time. The OVER is also 4-1 in the last five games for the Irish overall and 3-1 in the past four for the Friars.
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