Free NCAA Pick – Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Seton Hall Pirates (25-4) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (21-7)
The seventh-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish will tip off against the 10th seed Seton Hall Pirates in the second round of the Big East Tournament tonight at Madison Square Garden.
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The Irish hold a 15-8 advantage in the all-time series, despite losing 90-87 at Seton Hall back on Feb 11. The winner of this game will meet second- seeded Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
The Pirates has won three straight and seven of its last nine games including a 109-106 victory over 15th-seeded Providence in the first round last night. SHU led 76-47 with just over 13 minutes to play, but poor defense allowed Providence to rally within three with 8.5 seconds left. After a pair of Friars’ missed free throws, and an errant three-pointer in the closing moments, the game concluded with the Pirates narrowly escaping elimination. Herb Pope led the way for SHU with a double double of 27 points and a league-best 11 rebounds, while Jordan Theodore racked up 21 points and six assists. Jeremy Hazell, the Pirates leading scorer (21.1ppg) tacked on 18 points in the win.
Meanwhile Notre Dame, a team that had been struggling down the stretch losing three straight along with standout forward Luke Harangody, rallied back to finish the regular season with four straight wins and a respectable 10-8 finish in the Big East. The Irish compensated for the loss of Harangody with tough defense, allowing an average of just 54.7 ppg over its final four contests. Harangody, who tops the roster with 23.3 ppg and 9.7 rpg, returned to the lineup after missing five games with a deep right knee bruise and played just 11 minutes in team’s regular season finale against Marquette back on March 6. The senior had five points and two rebounds in the 63-60 overtime win. Harangody is not the only weapon in the Notre Dame arsenal. Tim Abromaitis checks in with 17.2 ppg behind 44.9 percent shooting from three-point range, and is closely followed by Ben Hansbrough and Tory Jackson chipping in with 12.0 and 9.7 ppg respectively, while the duo is also combining for 9.9 apg.
The odd makers have the Irish as a slim –1 ½ -point favorite in this one.
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The Pirates seem to be peaking at the right time as they try to play their way into the NCAA Tournament. However, they may shows signs of fatigue after last night’s shootout with Providence. On the other hand, the Irish, who earned a first-round bye, are 5-14 all-time in this event and have never won more than one game.
Despite history, I expect Notre Dame to win this one by a margin of 4-points.
Seton Hall Pirates Basketball Betting Trends:
- Seton Hall is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
- Seton Hall is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seton Hall’s last 5 games
- Seton Hall is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Basketball Betting Trends:
- Notre Dame is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
- Notre Dame is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Notre Dame’s last 6 games
- Notre Dame is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Seton Hall
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