Notre Dame will attempt to play their way into the NCAA Tournament starting tonight with a Big East Conference Tournament tilt against the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. The Irish have had a disappointing season thus far but a strong final push could make up for a year of inconsistent play. The game is set to get under way at 7:00pm ET at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.
Notre Dame vs Rutgers Free College Basketball Picks at Sportsbook.com have the Scarlet Knights listed as a +10 against the spread underdog.
Notre Dame has been a surprise this season and not for good reasons. The Irish began the year in the top 25 of the AP Poll and justified their lofty status by winning 12 of their first 15 games. After that, however, trouble began brewing in Big East action. Notre Dame lost seven straight conference games in route to a 17-13 overall record and a ninth place, 8-10 finish in the highly touted league.
The Irish did earn a victory in their final regular season game by pounding the St. John's Red Storm 74-55 in South Bend. The win ended a two game losing streak for Notre Dame as they had dropped back-to-back games against Connecticut and Villanova. Mike Brey's squad hit 50 percent from the field while holding the Red Storm to a feeble 29 percent. Junior forward Luke Harangody, the team's leading scorer at 23.7 per game, had 31 points and 12 rebounds in the triumph.
Notre Dame, who is 1-1 in neutral site games, is averaging 77.6 points per game this season while holding opponents to 71.8 per outing.
Rutgers has had a miserable year trying to survive in the Big East as their 11-20 overall record would indicate. The Scarlet Knights won just two conference games all season long, both of those coming against fellow bottom feeders DePaul and South Florida. The 45-42 win versus the Bulls came at the conclusion of regular season, giving Rutgers just their second win in their last 20 games.
The Scarlet Knights hit just 31 percent of their shots from the field but held South Florida to an even more reprehensible 14-of-47. They also outrebounded the Bulls 37 to 28 with 15 of the 37 coming on the offensive end.
Rutgers has not played a neutral site game this year, but they are 3-8 away from the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. They are averaging 63.6 points per game and giving up 66.8 in return.
Notre Dame vs Rutgers Free College Basketball Picks:
Notre Dame Fighting Irish -10 (-110), -600 (Moneyline)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights +10 (-110), +450 (Moneyline)
