No. 3 Connecticut Huskies at No. 19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

NCAA Betting Preview
No. 3 Connecticut Huskies (17-1) at No 19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-5)
Saturday, 7:00PM Eastern,

Bookmaker.com betting line – Notre Dame -1

The No. 19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host the 3^rd ranked Connecticut Huskies this Saturday in attempt to keep their 45 home game winning streak intact. The streak now leads all active home winning streaks and the Fighting Irish will face a tough task in holding on to that impressive tenure when they take on one of the best teams in America. Connecticut is among a number of one loss teams around the country that is fighting for the number 1 ranking in the nation. The Huskies have a chance to add another quality win to their resume this Saturday in what would be their 6^th win over a top 25 opponent already this season.

Notre Dame appeared to be an early contender among the elite Big East this season, but have had some troubles in recent weeks dropping their last two games and 3 of their last 5. The Fighting Irish were blown out by No. 8 Syracuse last Saturday by 19 points and they will be in desperate need to turn things around on their home floor where they have played extremely well over the last few years. The Fighting Irish have posted impressive scoring numbers this season averaging 81.2 points per game that ranks as one of the 15 best across the country. Luke Harangody is one of the best all around players in the country who ranks in the top 5 individually in both rebounds and points. Harangody sports a 24.8 and 12.9 rebound average every game and he will need a big performance again this Saturday. However, the task may come harder than usual with Connecticut’s 7’3” center Hasheem Thabeet.

The Connecticut Huskies are a powerful team from all angles and can really wreak havoc on the inside. The Huskies have 5 starters all averaging at least 10 points per game lead by forward Jeff Adrien. Adrien nearly averages a double-double with 14.4 points and 9.6 rebounds every outing. The big man in the middle Hasheem Thabeet has averaged a double-double with 13.2 points and 10.1 boards. These two big guys could give the Huskies a big advantage if they could slow Luke Harangody and control the glass. The Huskies are shooting the nations 7^th best 50% from the field while averaging an equally strong 40 rebounds per game. Connecticut will try to improve their recent stellar play by ending the longest home winning streak in the country with what would be a big win on the road.

What to watch for…
The Irish are really rolling when Harangody is making plays on the inside and Kyle McAlarney is shooting the ball well from the perimeter. The UConn big men need to make doubling down and support defense priority number 1 inside the paint. Harangody is nearly averaging 30 points and 14 rebounds in his last 4 games. The Huskies must find away to control these two star players. Connecticut’s ability to spread the ball out and utilize all their offensive threats will be the key to their scoring success.

Pick – All streaks come to an end sometime and it will here. Take UConn +1