PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* NCAAB PLAY OF THE DAY >> 37-25 Overall Run!
(NCAAB) Notre Dame vs. North Carolina,
Point Spread: 10.00 | -110.00 Notre Dame (Away)
Result: Loss
Point Spread: 10.00 | -110.00 Notre Dame (Away)
Result: Loss
The set-up: It's hardly been a "walk in the park" for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the defending national champs. The 21st-ranked Tar Heels (19-7 / 8-5 ACC) will play their third game in five days, after knocking off No. 9 Duke on Thursday and following that up with a furious 96-89 triumph at North Carolina State on Saturday. North Carolina will try to complete the trifecta when Notre Dame visits the Smith Center on Monday night. 15-10 Notre Dame (5-7 ACC) has rebounded from a seven-game losing streak with back-to-back home wins over Boston College and Florida State.
Notre Dame: The return of senior PG Matt Farrell from an ankle injury for the past three games has been a big boost for the Fighting Irish. Farrell poured in a career-best 28 points Saturday and enters averaging a team-high 16.5 PPG (as well as a team high 5.2 APG), with preseason All-American Bonzie Colson (21.4 & 10.4) still sidelined (missed last 11 games). Junior guard Rex Pflueger (9.1-4.3-3.2) and also had a career-high total with 19. Senior guard Gibbs (16.3) also added 19 points in the win over FSU. Farrell is averaging 21 points and has drained 15-of-31 from three-point range in three games since a stretch in which he missed five of seven contests with an ankle injury. "We take our lead from (Farrell) - he's been the warrior for us," Irish head coach Mike Brey told reporters after his team shot almost 50 percent from the floor against Florida State and drained 10 shots from behind the arc. Sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs has also played a big role for Notre Dame while averaging 21.3 points over the last six contests.
North Carolina: The 6-8 Maye (18.7 & 10.5) leads in scoring and rebounding, with a trio of guards chipping in double figures. Berry (17.4-3.6-3.1) tops that trio, followed by Johnson (13.1 & 4.8) and Williams (11.5). The Tar Heels shot 78.1 percent from the floor in the second half Saturday at North Carolina State, marking the highest rate in a half with Williams as the coach. Maye had quite a bit to do with it by racking up a career-high 33 points (27 in the second half) and adding 17 rebounds. Maye is averaging 24.7 points over the last three games, after scoring a season-low four against Clemson. Senior swingman Theo Pinson (8.7-6.0-4.5) told reporters after Maye's effort Saturday: "I mean, that was a performance." Pinson also came through in Saturday's win with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with seven assists after connecting on 3-of-13 from the field in his previous three outings. Berry has averaged 19 points over the last four games.
The pick: This is North Carolina's third game in five days, a grueling stretch that has included victories against two huge neighboring rivals. "Got to be ready," coach Roy Williams said, figuring there was no use bemoaning the assigned schedule. However, it's difficult to ignore that this is the first time North Carolina has had three ACC regular-season games scheduled in a five-day period since 1980 (note: the Tar Heels are the only ACC team with such a setup on the schedule this season). My bet says that the Irish give the Tar Heels "all they want" in this brutal scheduling spot for the defending champs. Make Notre Dame a 10* play.
Notre Dame: The return of senior PG Matt Farrell from an ankle injury for the past three games has been a big boost for the Fighting Irish. Farrell poured in a career-best 28 points Saturday and enters averaging a team-high 16.5 PPG (as well as a team high 5.2 APG), with preseason All-American Bonzie Colson (21.4 & 10.4) still sidelined (missed last 11 games). Junior guard Rex Pflueger (9.1-4.3-3.2) and also had a career-high total with 19. Senior guard Gibbs (16.3) also added 19 points in the win over FSU. Farrell is averaging 21 points and has drained 15-of-31 from three-point range in three games since a stretch in which he missed five of seven contests with an ankle injury. "We take our lead from (Farrell) - he's been the warrior for us," Irish head coach Mike Brey told reporters after his team shot almost 50 percent from the floor against Florida State and drained 10 shots from behind the arc. Sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs has also played a big role for Notre Dame while averaging 21.3 points over the last six contests.
North Carolina: The 6-8 Maye (18.7 & 10.5) leads in scoring and rebounding, with a trio of guards chipping in double figures. Berry (17.4-3.6-3.1) tops that trio, followed by Johnson (13.1 & 4.8) and Williams (11.5). The Tar Heels shot 78.1 percent from the floor in the second half Saturday at North Carolina State, marking the highest rate in a half with Williams as the coach. Maye had quite a bit to do with it by racking up a career-high 33 points (27 in the second half) and adding 17 rebounds. Maye is averaging 24.7 points over the last three games, after scoring a season-low four against Clemson. Senior swingman Theo Pinson (8.7-6.0-4.5) told reporters after Maye's effort Saturday: "I mean, that was a performance." Pinson also came through in Saturday's win with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with seven assists after connecting on 3-of-13 from the field in his previous three outings. Berry has averaged 19 points over the last four games.
The pick: This is North Carolina's third game in five days, a grueling stretch that has included victories against two huge neighboring rivals. "Got to be ready," coach Roy Williams said, figuring there was no use bemoaning the assigned schedule. However, it's difficult to ignore that this is the first time North Carolina has had three ACC regular-season games scheduled in a five-day period since 1980 (note: the Tar Heels are the only ACC team with such a setup on the schedule this season). My bet says that the Irish give the Tar Heels "all they want" in this brutal scheduling spot for the defending champs. Make Notre Dame a 10* play.
