Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
Tuesday, 12/3/13, 9:15 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Iowa -10
Current Betting Line: Iowa -9.5
Opening Total: N/A
Current Total: N/A
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Notre Dame is set to make its first-ever appearance in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, as it comes off a 101-67 blowout victory over Cornell as 25.5-point home favorites Sunday, while going OVER the betting total for a third consecutive opportunity. The Fighting Irish have four starters that are averaging double figures, with senior guard Jerian Grant leading the way in scoring 19.5 points per game. Tuesday night’s contest will be the 14th meeting between these two teams, with the Fighting Irish holding an 8-5 advantage. Notre Dame is 11-14 SUATS as an underdog the last two-plus seasons.
The Fighting Irish have one of the best floor generals in the country in senior Eric Atkins, who ranks first among all active Division I players with a career assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.40. Atkins has 31 assists and just five turnovers for a 6.2 ratio this season, which is the fifth-best mark in the country. In back-to-back outings, Notre Dame has outscored its opponents by a 60-35 margin in the second half, which is important to consider when looking over the NCAA basketball lines.
Iowa will look to bounce back from an 88-83 setback to the Villanova Wildcats as three-point neutral-site favorites last Saturday, while going OVER the betting total of 148. The Hawkeyes are 2-10 in this event, with their last win coming versus NC State at home in 2005, which can’t be ignored when making your college basketball picks. The program has won 23-straight home games against unranked opponents—a streak that dates back to March 13, 2012. Iowa is 11-4 SU and 11-2 ATS in December the last two-plus seasons.
The Hawkeyes have plenty of firepower offensively, with senior guard Roy Devyn Marble leading the charge, as he comes in averaging 16.8 points per game. Iowa leads the Big Ten in five statistical categories, including points per game and scoring margin. It’s also important to point out that the squad is getting 11.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game from the center position of Adam Woodbury and Gabriel Olaseni.
Sports bettors will likely back the Hawkeyes due to their 5-0 ATS mark following a SU loss.
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