The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-3, 3-0 ACC) visit Georgia Tech to take on the Yellow Jackets (8-7, 1-1 ACC) in a game that will likely be low scoring. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, and will air on ESPNU.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 129 points with Georgia Tech opening as a 1-point favorite.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Free Prediction
The Fighting Irish will be hoping for a similar result after barely hanging on to beat the Syracuse Orange in their last contest, 51-49. The Fighting Irish knocked down 12 of their 16 free throws (75.0 percent) and had an offensive rebounding percentage of 52.5 (above their season average of 27.9). Notre Dame was lifted by Temple Gibbs, who led the team in scoring with 18 points on 6-for-16 shooting.
In the Yellow Jackets’ last matchup, they defeated the Yale Bulldogs, 74-60. The Yellow Jackets knocked down 21 of their 28 free throws (75.0 percent) and had an offensive rebounding percentage of 46.4 (above their season average of 30.5). Jose Alvarado was the game’s high scorer with 23 points on 6-for-12 shooting.
Half-court execution will be at a premium when two of the NCAA’s slowest-paced teams battle. Georgia Tech ranks 338th in possessions per game (65.5) and Notre Dame is 311th (67.2). Furthermore, the 41st-ranked defense of the Fighting Irish (opponents’ effective field goal percentage of 0.462) will battle against the 309th-ranked offense of the Yellow Jackets (effective field goal percentage of 0.475).
Notre Dame heads into the contest with records of 13-3 straight up (SU) and 6-5 against the spread (ATS). A little over half of the Fighting Irish’s games have finished over the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech owns records of 8-7 SU and 6-5 ATS. Vegas has a tendency to place the total high when the Yellow Jackets are involved, as seven of their 11 games have ended under the total.
Rex Pflueger and Martinas Geben have played well over the last five games for Notre Dame. Pflueger has averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Not to be outdone, Geben has recorded 8.6 points and 8.4 rebounds a game during that span.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Bonzie Colson scored a game-high 22 points and the Fighting Irish beat the Yellow Jackets 68-59 but were unable to cover as 14-point favorites. He also recorded 17 rebounds. The game finished with a total of 127 points, which was 12 points below the projected point total of 139 points. The Fighting Irish knocked down 15 of their 18 free throws (83.3 percent) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (34.2 vs. 22.0).
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Betting Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Notre Dame, ATS Winner – Notre Dame, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Notre Dame is 5-2 ATS with 4 unders and 3 overs.
Georgia Tech is 4-3 ATS at home with 4 unders and 3 overs.
Notre Dame ranks 166th in three pointers attempted per game (20.8) while Georgia Tech ranks 260th (14.7).
The Fighting Irish rank 102nd in assists per game (14.4) while the Yellow Jackets rank 157th in assists allowed per game (14.3).
Notre Dame ranks 23rd in steals allowed per game (5.0) while Georgia Tech ranks 65th (5.8).
The Yellow Jackets rank 25th in blocks per game (5.3) while the Fighting Irish rank 62nd in blocks allowed per game (3.1).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Notre Dame is 2-2 ATS with 2 overs and 2 unders.
Georgia Tech is 3-1 ATS with 3 unders and 1 over over their last five games.
The Fighting Irish’s average margin of victory in their last five games has been 17.4, up from 15.7 for the season.
During their last five games, the Yellow Jackets have scored an average of 70.8 points per game (3.9 above their season average) and allowed an average of 65.8 points per game (1.8 above their season average).
