Notre Dame vs Akron | Prediction & Pick

ND thinks skill of the Irish will work against Akron

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were considered a possible number No.1 seed for the 2011 NCAA Tournament. However, they are a second seed in the Southwest Region, and they will open play against the 15th seeded Akron Zips on Friday in Chicago.

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#2 Notre Dame (26-6, 14-4 Big East) vs. #15 Akron (23-12, 9-7 MAC)

Date/Time: Friday, March 18, 1:40 PM ET
Venue: United Center in Chicago, IL.
Broadcast: TBS

Money Line: N/A
Spread: Notre Dame -13
Over/Under: 136

Notre Dame was one of the more solid squads in the mega-competitive Big East Conference this season. They won 26 games, 14 of which came in league play. They defeated Wisconsin, Georgia, and Gonzaga in out-of-conference play, while defeating Connecticut twice, and also winning against Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Louisville, Villanova, and St. John’s. Mike Brey was named Big East coach of the year, and has guided the Irish into the tournament for the second straight time and for the fourth time in the last five years.

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Akron finished the regular season in third place in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference, three games behind Kent State. But they did win nine of their last eleven games during the regular season, and won three games to capture the MAC tournament championship. It’s the second trip to the big dance for the Zips in the last three years, having lost in 2009 to Gonzaga in the first round. A 1986 loss to Michigan is their only other tournament appearance.

Offensively for the Fighting Irish, they shoot 46.6 percent as a team from the floor and 39.2 percent from three-point range. Notre Dame also finished 10th in the country in assists as a team, averaging 16.7 per contest. Their leading scorer for the season was Big East Player of the Year Ben Hanbrough, who averaged 18.5 points per game. Tim Abromaitis was second at 15.3 points per contest. The Irish starting five play heavy minutes, each averaging over 28.7 per contest, and really only use a seven-man rotation.

Akron is led by Nikola Cvetinovic, who averaged 11.9 points per contest. The Zips also feature a double shot of Bretts – as in Brett McKnight (10.3 PPG) and Brett McClanahan (10.1 PPG).

The odds makers have the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as a -13 point favorite with an over/under of 136.

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Prediction: Akron made a solid run to get into this tournament, but Notre Dame’s loss to Louisville in the Big East semifinals has left a bad taste in their mouths. They will outclass Akron in this contest.

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Trends:

• Notre Dame is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games
• The total has gone OVER in 8 of Notre Dame’s last 11 games