The SMU Mustangs (19-6) travel to face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-14) on Wednesday, February 19th. This game will be played at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend and televised on ACCN. Both SMU and Notre Dame will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 ET.

SMU Mustangs vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Mustangs Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

SMU Mustangs Recent Game/Games

SMU fell to 19-6 on the season after a 77-66 home loss to Wake Forest on Saturday. The Mustangs, who were favored by 6.5 points, failed to cover the spread.

SMU led 34-32 at halftime but allowed 45 points in the second half while scoring just 32. The game’s total points of 143 fell just under the 144.5-point over/under line.

The Fighting Irish Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Recent Game/Games

Notre Dame’s season continued to be a struggle as they fell to 11-14 after a 75-60 loss to Louisville on Sunday, February 16th. The Fighting Irish were +7.5 point underdogs at home and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 135, which was under the O/U line of 148.5.

Notre Dame trailed 35-28 at halftime and couldn’t close the gap, as they were outscored 40-32 in the second half.

Mustangs Offense Breakdown

SMU’s offense struggled in their last game, shooting just 36.1% from the field and 22.9% from three-point range, hitting 8 of 35 attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 42.6%, and they connected on 63.6% of their free throws, making 14 of 22.

Hunter Sallis led the team with 20 points, despite shooting 4 of 15 overall and 1 of 7 from three. Parker Friedrichsen was a bright spot, hitting 5 of 7 threes and finishing with 18 points. The Mustangs grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and dished out 17 assists in the game.

Fighting Irish Offense Breakdown

Notre Dame struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 36.4% from the field and 27.3% from beyond the arc. Their effective field goal percentage was 41.8%, and they managed only 7 assists as a team.

Markus Burton led the way with 22 points and 4 assists, while Chucky Hepburn added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. The Irish hit 14 of 16 free throws, finishing with 9 offensive rebounds.

Mustangs Team Defense

Despite giving up 77 points, SMU’s defense held their opponent to just 36% shooting from the field. They allowed 14 two-point field goals on 26 attempts, with the opponent shooting 53% from inside the arc.

SMU did a good job defending the three-point line, where their opponent shot 22%, making 8 of 35 attempts. From the free-throw line, the opponent went 14/22, shooting 63%. SMU also gave up 17 offensive rebounds.

Fighting Irish Team Defense

Despite SMU’s defensive efforts, they allowed 77 points while holding the opposing team to 36% shooting from the field. The Mustangs gave up 14 made two-point shots on 26 attempts, resulting in a 53% shooting percentage from inside the arc.

From three-point range, SMU’s defense limited the other team to 8 made threes on 35 attempts, a 22% success rate. The Mustangs also sent their opponents to the free-throw line 22 times, where they converted 14 shots, shooting 63%. SMU allowed 17 offensive rebounds in the game.

Mustangs vs Fighting Irish Trends

• In their last five road games, SMU has averaged 76 points per game while allowing 68 . The team’s record in this stretch was 4-1 while going 3-2 vs. the spread.
• Although Notre Dame has a straight up record of 2-8 in their last ten home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 4-6. The team averaged 67 points per game in these games.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the underdog, the Fighting Irish have a straight up record of 0-10. Their record vs the spread in these games was 5-4-1.
• The Mustangs have played well in their last five games as the betting favorite, going 4-1 straight up and 3-2 against the spread.

Mustangs vs Fighting Irish Prediction

Coming in as the underdogs at +2.5, we have the Fighting Irish as the way to go on the point spread. Not only do we have them covering, but our projections show they have a good one of winning this one straight-up, if you’re looking for a higher payout on the moneyline.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 144.5 and given that our model is projecting 146 points between the teams, we like 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.