The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (19-12, 10-10 ACC) meet the Boston College Eagles (13-18, 7-13 ACC) in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tourney at Greensboro Coliseum. The game can be seen on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.
BetMGM opened the Over/Under (O/U) at 140.5 points with Notre Dame set as a 9.5-point favorite.
Boston College Eagles vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Free Prediction
The Eagles come into this game after an 80-62 loss to the No. 7 Florida State Seminoles in their last matchup. The combined points for the game (142) were just over the projected point total of 141.5. Florida State’s turnover percentage was their largest strength over Boston College. The Seminoles had a rate of 9.8 (better than their season average of 16.7), while the Eagles posted a mark of 22.0 (above their season average of 17.3). Steffon Mitchell put together a good outing for Boston College, putting up 12 points and nine rebounds.
In the Fighting Irish’s previous game, they beat the Virginia Tech Hokies, 64-56, covering as 7-point favorites. The game’s total points (120) finished well under the projected point total of 141. The Fighting Irish held the Hokies to an offensive rebounding percentage of 7.9 (below their season average of 21.3). The Hokies had a free throw rate of 0.069 (below their season average of 0.166). With 13 points and nine rebounds, Dane Goodwin played well for Notre Dame.
Boston College holds records of 13-18 straight up (SU) and 14-16-1 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when setting the O/U total of Eagles games, with 15 unders compared to 14 overs.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame is 19-12 SU and 14-15-2 ATS. A little over half of Fighting Irish games have also finished under the O/U total.
Notre Dame figures to have the edge on the offensive side of the ball. The Fighting Irish rank 78th in offensive efficiency, while the Eagles rank 204th in defensive efficiency. Furthermore, the Eagles rank 303rd in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.191), while the Fighting Irish rank second in opponents’ FTA rate (0.140).
Boston College vs. Notre Dame Betting Pick
College Basketball Pick: ATS Winner – Boston College, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
Notre Dame ranks 70th in rebounds per game (37.6) while Boston College ranks 249th (33.0).
The Fighting Irish rank 11th in assists per game (16.4) while the Eagles rank 173rd in assists allowed per game (13.2).
Boston College ranks 42nd in steals per game (7.8) while Notre Dame ranks 170th (5.8).
The Fighting Irish rank 12th in three pointers attempted per game (28.2) while the Eagles rank 132nd in three pointers allowed per game (21.3).
Notre Dame ranks 78th in blocks per game (3.7) while Boston College ranks 114th in blocks allowed per game (3.2).
Over its last five contests, Boston College is 1-3-1 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
Notre Dame is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over its last five games.
The Eagles’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 12.6, up from 5.5 for the season.
During their last five games, the Fighting Irish have scored an average of 71.4 points per game (2.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 69.0 points per game (matching their season average).