The Southwest Region's No. 2 seed, Notre Dame, will face the Mid American Conference's Akron Zips tomorrow at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The second round showdown is scheduled to tip off at 1:40pm ET on TBS. The latest College Basketball Lines have the Fighting Irish listed as a -14 against the spread college basketball picks favorite; the Over/Under is set at 136.
If Notre Dame was even unconsciously taking Akron lightly, it is no longer, not after Morehead State's stunning upset of 
fourth seeded Louisville this afternoon. It is doubtful the Fighting Irish, based upon their performance this season, were looking past the Zips anyway.
Mike Brey's squad played about as well as any team in the country down the stretch, which enabled it to finish 26-6 overall and 14-4 in Big East action. The Irish, winners in 12 of their last 14 games, placed second behind Pittsburgh in the conference standings thanks to their solid conclusion to the regular season.
Notre Dame suffered a 77-83 overtime loss to the aforementioned Cardinals its last time out (Big East tournament semifinals), but that setback, which featured an off night from Ben Hansbrough (13 points on 3-of-16 shooting), should not deter Irish fans from feeling good about their team.
Notre Dame is 4-1 off a loss this season with wins over Gonzaga, Connecticut, Cincinnati, and Providence.
Akron won its fourth straight game last weekend, topping Kent State 66-65 in overtime to win the MAC Tournament title. The Zips, which placed third in the MAC's East Division with a 9-7 conference mark, closed out the season on a 11-2 run to finish 23-12 overall.
Akron got just four points out of its leading scorer, Nikola Cvetinovic (11.9), in the championship game against the Golden Flashes, but it secured the automatic tournament bid after hitting 8-of-19 from beyond the arc.
The Zips are 0-2 in their two previous NCAA Tournament appearances; their last Big Dance showing came in 2009, when they fell 64-77 to Gonzaga in the first round.
Akron vs Notre Dame 2011 NCAA Bracket Picks:
Akron Zips +14 (-110), Over 136 (-110), +980 (Moneyline)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish -14 (-110), Under 136 (-110), -1400 (Moneyline)
