Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Virginia Cavaliers Prediction, 2/18/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Virginia Cavaliers

Date: Saturday, February 18, 2023

Location: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA

TV: ESPN+

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-16) are on their way to John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday where they will try to beat the Virginia Cavaliers (20-4).

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish took the court against Duke and went home with a loss by a final score of 68-64 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Fighting Irish left the arena with 12 and Duke recorded 10 personal fouls. They buried 5 of 20 attempts from 3-point range. Duke finished the contest at 86.7% from the free throw line by converting 13 of their 15 shots. Furthermore, Duke grabbed 33 rebounds (8 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Duke earned 16 dimes and had 5 steals for the contest. In the matter of defense, Notre Dame allowed the other team to shoot 43.1% from the floor on 25 out of 58 shooting. They also dished out 6 assists for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and having 6 steals. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they collected 32 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Fighting Irish made 6 of 8 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. Notre Dame walked away from the game having earned a 42.6% field goal percentage (26 out of 61) and converted 6 of their 21 3-pointers.

Dane Goodwin is a player who was a major factor in this matchup. He racked up 25 points on 11 out of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 34 minutes and also collected 4 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 84.6% from the floor and totaled 1 assist.

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Notre Dame heads into this contest with a mark of 10-16 for the year. They have an average of 70.7 pts per game (197th in the nation) on 45.1% from the field. The Fighting Irish are connecting on 36.7% on 3-point shots (235 of 641) and 76.0% from the free throw line. As a unit, Notre Dame is pulling down 31.0 rebounds per contest and has totaled 314 dimes for the season, which is 286th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 8.8 times per contest and as a group they commit 13.6 fouls every game.

On defense, the Fighting Irish are forcing 9.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 14.0 personal fouls. They are conceding 35.0% on 3-point attempts while they are 264th in Division 1 in PPG from their opponents (72.5). The Fighting Irish are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 47.0% (709 of 1,510) and they relinquish 34.7 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are currently ranked 267th in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 365 relinquished so far this season.

The last time they took the court, the Virginia Cavaliers got the victory with a final of 61-58 against Louisville. The Cavaliers were able to collect 23 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards for a total of 29 for the matchup. They coughed up the ball 6 times, while earning 8 steals in this contest. Louisville was called for 14 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Cavaliers to the free throw line for a total of 16 attempts. They were able to make 9 of the free throws for a percentage of 56.3%. Pertaining to shots from distance, Virginia knocked down 6 of 18 tries (33.3%). When the game finished, the Cavaliers went 23 out of 52 from the floor which had them sitting at 44.2%. The Cavaliers permitted Louisville to bury 21 of their 50 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 42.0% in this game. They wrapped up this game 40.0% from beyond the arc by hitting 8 out of 20 and finished the game at 8 out of 10 at the charity stripe (80.0%). In relation to rebounds, Virginia allowed Louisville to get 29 in total (4 on the offensive glass).

Kihei Clark pitched in for the Cavaliers for the contest. He had 14 points in his 31 minutes on the court and added 6 assists in this matchup. He converted 5 out of 11 in this contest for a rate of 45.5%, and totaled 4 rebounds.

Virginia has a win-loss record of 20-4 for the season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Cavaliers are shooting 45.9% from the floor, which ranks them 102nd in college hoops. Virginia has scored 1,670 pts for the season (69.6 per game) and they grab 32.0 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 16.3 times per contest (18th in D-1) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.0 times per contest. The Cavaliers are committing 14.2 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 70.3% from the free throw line.

The Virginia defense gives up 34.5% on shots from 3-point land (171 of 496) and opponents are converting on 74.4% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 11.6 assists and 31.8 rebounds per game, which is ranked 99th and 55th in D-1. The Cavaliers on the defensive end are ranked 10th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 60.3. They are forcing their opponents into 12.7 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.4% from the floor (60th in the country).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Notre Dame

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