NCAA Basketball Free Pick – Wednesday, December 29, 2010
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No. 9 Georgetown (11-1) vs. No. 22 Notre Dame (11-1)
Wednesday, December 29, 7:00PM EST on ESPN 2
Spread: Georgetown -3
Over/Under: OFF
The Hoyas and Irish open their Big East schedule Thursday night trying to figure out how to contain each other’s high-octane offense.
Both teams rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring, with Georgetown averaging 81.0 points and Notre Dame at 81.3 per game. The Hoyas are also second in overall shooting (52.8 percent), fourth in three-point shooting (42.6), and 10th in assists (221).
No. 9 Georgetown is riding a three game winning streak that includes an 86-69 rout at then-No. 16 Memphis on Thursday. Senior Austin Freeman went 9 of 12 from the field and scored 24 points as the Hoyas shot 56.9 percent, went 5 for 11 from beyond the arc, and totaled 18 assists.
Freeman, who leads the Hoyas, is averaging 18.9 points and shooting 56.8 percent from the field, including 49.2 from 3-point range. Backcourt partner Jason Clark is contributing 13.7 points per game, making 52.1 percent of his shots. Clark is also shooting 44.8 percent from beyond the arc, whole the Hoyas make 8.4 3-pointers per game.
As for Notre Dame, it’s off to its best start in the history of the program since going 13-1 in 2006-07. Senior forward Tim Abromaitis leads the team with 16.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and is one of four Irish players scoring in double figures. Senior guard Ben Hansbrough, Carleton Scott and Tyrone Nash round out the quartet.
The No. 22 Irish are yet to beat a ranked opponent this season, getting smoked 72-58 by then-No. 17 Kentucky earlier this month in their only game against a top 25 team.
They did however rebound nicely with a win over perennial powerhouse Gonzaga that started a three-game winning streak including a rout of UMBC 93-53 last Wednesday. The Irish averaged 88.0 points in those victories. Abromaitis led the way with 21 points against UMBC.
Hansbrough has a team-high 32 3-pointers, and five players have at least 29 assists.
The Irish also have also shot well at the foul line, outscoring opponents 245-118 while converting 73.8 percent of their free throws.
Abromaitis, Hansbrough, and fellow senior Scott combined for 57 points in Notre Dame’s 78-64 win at Georgetown last season, while Clark hit four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points.
The Hoyas will put a stronger defensive effort on the floor with an advantage against the Fighting Irish in steals, 7 per game to 3 per game. Additionally, Georgetown tops Notre Dame in shooting, 52 to 45 percent. However, in turnovers, the Fighting Irish beat the Hoyas, 10 per game to 14 per game.
Over four years, Georgetown has gone 3-2 against Notre Dame, and 0-1 at Joyce Center. I expect that to change on Wednesday night.
The odds makers have the Georgetown Hoyas as a -3 point favorite and the over/under is Off.
Free Pick: Georgetown 83, Notre Dame 79
Team records:
- Georgetown: 11-1 SU, 8-2 ATS
- Notre Dame: 11-1 SU, 4-3 ATS
Georgetown Hoyas most recently:
- When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
- Before playing DePaul are 6-2
- After playing Memphis are 4-2
- After a win are 9-1
Notre Dame Fighting Irish most recently:
- When playing on Wednesday are 6-2
- Before playing Syracuse are 6-4
- After a win are 9-1
A few betting trends to consider:
- Georgetown is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- Georgetown is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Notre Dame
- Notre Dame is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
- Notre Dame is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games
- Notre Dame is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Georgetown
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Notre Dame’s last 6 games when playing Georgetown
Next up:
- Georgetown home to DePaul, Saturday, January 1
- Notre Dame at Syracuse, Saturday, January 1
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