Virginia vs Notre Dame Odds, Pick
| Virginia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -115 | 115.5 -115o / -105u | -500 |
| Notre Dame Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -105 | 115.5 -115o / -105u | +375 |
Conference play gets back underway in the ACC as Virginia and Notre Dame get set to meet on Saturday in South Bend.
Both teams have played one game in conference play already. Virginia sits atop the ACC with a 1-0 record following a decisive victory over Syracuse, while Notre Dame is 0-1 with a loss by 13 points to Miami (FL).
It hasn't been pretty for the Fighting Irish to start the year, as Micah Shrewsberry's team has been struggling more often that not. The Irish have won just five of their 12 games, with their offense failing them against quality opponents.
Shrewsberry has been vocally frustrated with the effort from his key players, so it'll be interesting to see how they respond coming out of the holiday break.
This Virginia team is lacking the high-end talent that some of Tony Bennett's best Cavalier rosters have possessed, but they still have the same elite defense that opposing offenses fear. Virginia enters this game with a solid 10-2 overall record.
The struggling Notre Dame offense will have its work cut out for it against the elite Virginia defense.
Virginia Cavaliers
Two things are always true with Bennett's teams: they play slow and they defend at the highest level. Both of those characteristics hold true with this year's version, as they play at the 361st-fastest tempo in college basketball and currently have the third-ranked defense, according to KenPom.
On the offensive end, they don't beat themselves. This team makes 36% of its shots from outside the arc, good for 61st nationally.
The Cavs also don't turn the ball over, ranking 15th in the country in avoiding turnovers.
There are plenty of new faces in larger roles for Virginia — namely Jacob Groves and Andrew Rohde — but the pieces Bennett brought in to flank Reece Beekman have largely helped the Cavs control games.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
That should be more than enough against Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish just don't have enough answers on offense. Notre Dame ranks 314th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, and the numbers across the board are ugly on that end.
This team makes just 26% of its attempts from 3-point range, despite taking 45% of its shots from outside. The Irish turn the ball over 20% of the time.
They're young and they play like it, so facing the Virginia defense will be a challenge that they haven't had to deal with yet.
If there's one small thing to be hopeful about for the Notre Dame side, it's that Virginia failed miserably in its only true road test of the season, losing by 23 points vs. Memphis the week before Christmas.
Virginia vs. Notre Dame
Betting Pick & Prediction
Home court advantage can only do so much, and it's just hard to envision this Notre Dame offense finding any answers against a team as terrifying defensively as Virginia.
Shrewsberry will have better personnel in future seasons, but until he gets some roster help, backing Bennett to shut down Notre Dame's offense is the smart bet.
Pick: Virginia -9
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