The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-13) travel to face off against the Virginia Cavaliers (15-5) on Wednesday, January 31st. This game will be played at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville and televised on ESPN2. Virginia is coming off a win in their previous game, while Notre Dame is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Boston College. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Virginia Cavaliers
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Notre Dame will be looking to snap a six-game losing streak when they take on Virginia. So far this season, the Fighting Irish are just 7-13, including a 1-7 record in Atlantic Coast Conference play. On the road, Notre Dame is 1-4, and they are 2-10 as the underdog.
In their last game, Notre Dame lost to Boston College by a score of 61-58. Over their last 10 road games, the Fighting Irish have gone just 2-8, and they are 1-4 in their last five road games.
Notre Dame’s ATS record this season is 9-10, but they have been much better vs. the spread on the road, going 4-1. Over their last 10 road games, the Fighting Irish are 6-3 vs. the spread.
Today’s over/under line of 114.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Notre Dame’s games this season (134.2). So far, 19 of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s total. This year, the over/under record in their games is 4-15. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 124 points.
The Virginia Cavaliers Are Coming Off A Win
Virginia enters this game as a 13.5-point favorite, and they have been excellent at home this season, going 12-0 with an average scoring margin of +18.8 points per game. The Cavaliers have won their last three games and come in with a 15-5 overall record.
Over their last 10 home games, Virginia is a perfect 10-0, and they have won all 12 of their games at home this season. On the other hand, their road record is just 2-5, and they have an average scoring margin of -11.1 points per game on the road.
When looking at Virginia’s overall ATS record this season, they are currently 11-8. At home, their ATS mark is 9-3. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Cavaliers are 7-2-1 vs. the spread.
Today’s over/under line of 114.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Virginia’s games this year (127.2). So far, 13 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 124 points.
Notre Dame Offense Breakdown
The Fighting Irish’s offense wrapped up their last game with 58 points, aligning closely with their current season average of 62.5 points per contest. The top scorer for the Fighting Irish was J.R Konieczny with 15 points, while Braeden Shrewsberry also added 14 to the scoreboard.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Markus Burton (G) | 15.9 | 3.3 | 4.1 |
| J.R Konieczny (G) | 9.9 | 5.8 | 0.7 |
| Braeden Shrewsberry (G) | 8.8 | 2.4 | 0.8 |
Virginia Offense Breakdown
In their most recent game, the Cavaliers’ offense tallied 69 points, consistent with their ongoing season average of 65.3 points per game. The team’s top scorer is Reece Beekman, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 12.9, while Isaac McKneely also maintains a PPG average of 11.6 leading up to the game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reece Beekman (G) | 12.9 | 3.1 | 6.2 |
| Isaac McKneely (G) | 11.6 | 3.0 | 1.6 |
| Ryan Dunn (G) | 10.2 | 7.2 | 0.9 |
Notre Dame Team Defense
The Fighting Irish’s defense is presently ranked 39th nationally, allowing an average of 65.3 points per contest. In their previous game vs. Boston College, the Eagles finished with a field goal percentage of 36% and a total of 61 points vs. Notre Dame.
Virginia Team Defense
Virginia’s defense has been playing well, ranking 3rd nationally, with 57.6 points allowed per game. In today’s game vs. Notre Dame, the Virginia defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, Virginia made 19 free-throws vs. the Cavaliers.
Fighting Irish vs Cavaliers Trends
- Across their last three road contests, Notre Dame has a 2-0 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 1-2, while averaging 64 points per game.
- When looking at their past ten home matchups, Virginia has an ATS record of 2-8 while averaging 57 per game. The team went 3-7 overall in these games.
- Spanning across their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Fighting Irish have gone 6-4 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-9.
- The last ten games that Virginia was favored, they have an ATS mark of 7-2-1 while going 9-1 straight up.
Fighting Irish vs Cavaliers Prediction
When looking to get a point-spread pick down in this Cavaliers vs. Cavaliers game, our recommendation is to take the Cavaliers at -13.5. Despite our model showing the Cavaliers winning 74-69, we like Fighting Irish as our point-spread pick.
Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 114.5, and our model predicts the Fighting Irish and Cavaliers to score a combined 143 points. We recommend betting on the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 31, 2024 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Virginia Cavaliers