Thursday, March 16, 2017

KeyBank Center

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The 12 seed Princeton Tigers travel to KeyBank Center to play the 5 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday, March 16, 2017 in the NCAA Tournament. The opening line for this game has Notre Dame as 7 point favorites.

The Tigers come into this game with an overall record of 21-6. They are 12-10 against the spread and their over/under record is 8-13. The Fighting Irish have an overall record of 23-8. They have an over/under record of 13-11 and they are 16-9 against the spread.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other NCAA basketball games check out our handicapping tips.

Devin Cannady comes into this contest averaging 13.7 points per game while playing 31.5 minutes per night so far this season for the Tigers. He pulls down 3.6 rebounds per game and dishes out 1.8 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 43% while his free throw percentage is currently at 94%. Steven Cook averages 13.7 points per game in 30.1 minutes per contest this season. He averages 1.8 assists per contest and 5.1 rebounds per game for Princeton. His field goal percentage is 49% for the year while his free throw percentage is 66%.

Bonzie Colson averages 17.5 points per game while playing 32.0 minutes per contest this year for the Fighting Irish. He grabs 10.2 rebounds per game and has 1.6 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 52% and his free throw percentage currently is at 79%. V.J. Beachem averages 15.0 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 34.0 minutes per contest. He also averages 4.1 rebounds per contest and 0.8 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 44% and his free throw percentage is 83%.

Princeton averages 72.1 points per contest this season which ranks them 200th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 10.6 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them ranked 130th. Behind the arc they shoot 38% which is good for 45th in the country. They average 33.4 rebounds per game and 14.2 assists per game which ranks them 287th and 123rd in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 347th with 10.0 per game. The Tigers allow 61.5 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 10th in the nation. They also allow a 42% shooting percentage and a 33% average from behind the arc ranking them 67th and 86th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 33.3 rebounds a game which ranks 81st and they give up 10.6 assists per contest which puts them in 18th place in the country. They force 13.4 turnovers per game which ranks them 192nd in Division 1.

Notre Dame averages 78.0 points per game this year which ranks them 67th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 8.8 and their shooting percentage is 46% as a team which has them sitting in the 85th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 39% which is good for 40th in the nation. They average 33.8 rebounds per game and 16.0 assists per contest which ranks them 275th and 36th respectively. In the turnover department the Fighting Irish rank 350th with 9.5 per game. The Fighting Irish allow 69.2 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 99th in the country. They also allow a 43% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 144th and 113th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 35.6 rebounds a game which ranks 204th and they give up 12.9 assists per contest which puts them in 148th place in the nation. The Fighting Irish force 12.8 turnovers per game which ranks them 144th in college basketball.

The Tigers are 63rd in the nation in offensive rating at 109.9. They assist on 55.1% of their shots, which ranks 117th in the country. In terms of pace they average 65.3 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 331st among D-1 teams. They are 53rd in effective field goal percentage with 54%. As a team they are 71st in the country in true shooting percentage with 56% and they shoot 3 pointers on 46% of their shots. Princeton turns the ball over an average of 13.6 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 10.4% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 50.1% places them 198th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 24.5%.

The Fighting Irish are 16th in the nation in offensive rating at 114.5. They assist on 58.1% of their shots, which ranks 53rd in the country. In terms of pace they average 67.9 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 261st among D-1 teams. They are 48th in effective field goal percentage with 54%. As a team they are 45th in the country in true shooting percentage with 58% and they shoot 3 pointers on 41% of their shots. Notre Dame turns the ball over an average of 12.4 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 10.6% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 48.7% places them 264th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 27.4%.

Princeton Tigers Betting Trends

The Princeton Tigers are 12-10 against the spread

The Princeton Tigers are 8-13 against the over/under

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Trends

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 16-9 against the spread

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 13-11 against the over/under

Princeton Tigers Injuries

12/16/16 F Henry Caruso Toe out for season
12/13/16 F Hans Brase Knee out for season

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Injuries

No key injuries to report

Guy's Pick: Take Notre Dame -7

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