Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-18) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (14-17)
NCAA Basketball: Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at 2 pm (Spectrum Center)
Lines & Odds: Notre Dame -1.5; Over/Under 126
FREE NCAA BB Pick Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
February 10th, 2019 —A little over a month ago, both teams met in this conference play matchup, with Notre Dame getting the best of the Yellow Jackets as a boost in the second half propelled the Fighting Irish to a 69-59 victory. The Irish Fighting pulled away with this victory with their ability to initiate fouls and shoot free throws, earning 25 trips to the free throw line, making 21 points of those attempts to help compensate for their poor shooting from the field, 21-62 (32.8%) and from three-point range, 6-27 (22.2%). Notre Dame also won the rebounding battle, especially on the offensive end, 20-12. To put the cherry on top, the Fighting Irish turned over the ball only eight times in their path to victory. TJ Gibbs (20 points & five rebounds) and D.J. Harvey (18 points & eight rebounds) led the way for the Fighting Irish. On the other hand, Georgia Tech shot better overall from the field, including from two-point & three-point range. However, the Yellow Jackets only earn 13 trips to the free throw line, making eight of those attempts. Freshman guard Michael Devoe led the way for the Yellow Jackets with a well-rounded game that included 18 points, six assists, eight rebounds, and made four of five from three-point range in defeat.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-18)
The Fighting Irish allowed the Pittsburgh Panthers to break their 13-game losing streak while sustaining their current losing streak, a seven-game losing streak, heading into their contest against Georgia Tech.The Fighting Irish will come into this contest swinging, attempting to get back on the winning side of things in addition to hoping to advance past the Yellow Jackets in the ACC Tournament. In order to so, the Fighting Irish will need their core scorers in John Mooney (14.1 PPG, 11.2 RPG, & 3PT%: 37.3%), Temple Gibbs (13.4 PPG & 3.4 APG), and D.J. Harvey (10.7 PPG & 4.2 RPG) to step up even more to help elevate the collective effort and play to claim triumph over the Yellow Jackets. The Fighting Irish will need to depend on their strengths, which are: (offense): FT%: 74.5% (47th), ORB: 343 (97th), and TOV: 296 (6th); (defense): BLK:142 (30th), PF: 432 (2nd), and PTS/G: 68.7 (106th) to have a winning chance against the Yellow Jackets. However, in order to completely take advantage of the Yellow Jackets, they will need to exploit Georgia Tech’s offensive inefficiency to truly win this contest.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (14-17)
The Yellow Jackets are currently on a two-game winning streak heading into the ACC Tournament’s first round matchup against Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Georgia Tech will need to elevate their scoring offense as they average 65.2 PPG (331st) as well as shooting 43.8% (216th) from the field, including from two-point range, 50.4% (198th), three-point range, 30.6% (335th), and 69.4% (215th) from the free throw line. Their scoring offense is led by Jose Alvarado (12.8 PPG, 3.3 APG, & 3.9 RPG), James Banks III (10.5 PPG & 7.7 RPG), and Michael Devoe (9.7 PPG, 2.6 APG, & 3.4 RPG). However, this will not be enough for the Yellow Jackets as they lack star power and will need more of a total collective effort to get over the hump against the Fighting Irish. They will need to also force the Fighting Irish into inefficient shots as well as crashing the defensive boards hard to limit the Fighting Irish scoring opportunities to truly earn this victory.
Cover The Spread 365 Trends
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games
Notre Dame is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Notre Dame’s last 5 games
Notre Dame is 1-11-1 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Georgia Tech
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Notre Dame’s last 5 games when playing Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Georgia Tech’s last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Georgia Tech’s last 15 games
Georgia Tech is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Notre Dame
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Georgia Tech’s last 5 games when playing Notre Dame
FREE NCAA BB Prediction Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Both teams will make this a tight contest all the way through in attempt to advance within the ACC Tournament. Both teams also share plenty of offensive inefficiencies but are solid enough on defense. However, the Yellow Jackets do have an advantage as they are a better defense, allowing opponents to score 66.2 PPG (50th) in contrast to the Fighting Irish’s 68.7 PPG (106th). In the end, though, the Fighting Irish have a better and more offensive depth, and despite their decent defense, will have enough in the tank to squeak past the Yellow Jackets.