Notre Dame seeks signature win at Villanova
Jay Wright and the Wildcats are off to their best start in a long time. How long? Try almost 60 years. Ranked No. 3 in the latest polls, Villanova remains unbeaten at 7-0 in the Big East with designs on a No. 1 seed in March. The Wildcats host Notre Dame on Wednesday when they will face one of the conference's top players, Luke Harangody. ESPN has the broadcast from Wachovia Center in Philadelphia at 7 p.m. (ET).
The Villanova Wildcats have never been better. Literally.
The Wildcats (18-1 SU, 14-4 ATS) are off to the best start in school history. We’re talking about a varsity basketball program that began in 1920 and has been to the NCAA Tournament 30 times since then.
But only once before did the Wildcats start the season 18-1, and that was way back in 1950-51. Villanova is also undefeated in the Big East this year at 7-0 (6-1 ATS). Can the ‘Cats run the table?
Wednesday’s opponent might not be your first choice to stop Villanova’s hot streak. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (15-5 SU, 7-6-1 ATS) are 4-3 SU and 3-3-1 ATS in Big East play. Before that, the Irish lost to Northwestern (+6.5) and Loyola Marymount (+21) in non-conference action.
And you couldn’t have asked for a softer schedule: Notre Dame ranks No. 343 out of the 347 Division I teams in strength of non-con opposition. Villanova is battle-tested by comparison at No. 193; the one loss was against the rival Temple Owls (+3) in their building.
Strength of schedule is one of the primary reasons you’ll find Notre Dame ranked No. 80 on Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball efficiency charts, barely ahead of struggling St. John’s (No. 84) and South Florida (No. 86). It’s a fair comparison. On January 5, Notre Dame went to the Sun Dome and escaped with a 74-73 victory over the Bulls (+1).
Villanova is coming off a solid 81-71 win over the Red Storm (+7) at Madison Square Garden. The ‘Cats came back from an early 11-point deficit to salt the game away in the second half.
Solid, yes, but Ken Pomeroy only has Villanova ranked at No. 15 in team efficiency, fourth in the Big East behind Syracuse (No. 3), West Virginia (No. 7) and Georgetown (No. 14).
The Wildcats have their issues on defense; opponents have a combined effective field-goal percentage of 46.2, or No. 75 overall. That includes 33.3 percent from behind the arc, which ranks No. 139 in Division I. The ‘Cats make up for it with rebounding and the No. 3-rated offense in the country; no coincidence, then, that the 'over' is 13-5 on the season and 12-1 in Villanova’s last 13 games.
Notre Dame has the same slant toward the offensive end, but it’s even more pronounced. The Irish are No. 4 on offense and (gulp) No. 256 on defense, allowing an effective FG% of 49.6 (No. 208 overall). This is not the kind of team you want guarding Villanova’s deep, deep backcourt; Notre Dame has allowed a 36.9 success rate from long range (No. 280), and the ‘Cats have one of the most dangerous shooters in the game in Big East Player of the Year candidate Scottie Reynolds (18.7 points per game, .424 on 3-pointers). The 'over' is 8-5 for Notre Dame this season.
Even with these flaws, the Irish continue to be talked about as a possible Tournament team, even picking up a couple of votes in the most recent coaches’ poll. Brand-name recognition has something to do with it, as does the presence of senior Luke Harangody, the 2008 Big East Player of the Year and a force to be reckoned with at 24.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
It’s a lot harder to tie a name or a face to Villanova, other than former head coach Rollie Massimino. Square bettors put value on these attachments by making square bets.
Harangody’s awesomeness also masks Notre Dame’s exceedingly thin bench. The Irish reserves are playing just 18.5 percent of the team’s minutes, which puts them No. 343 in the nation in bench strength and goes a long way to explaining why Notre Dame has trouble holding onto leads in the second half. Villanova’s reserves see nearly twice as much action at 34.6 percent (No. 109) and were vital to that second-half rally over St. John’s.
Looks like the blueprints are in for Wednesday’s matchup on ESPN (7:00 p.m. ET). May the betting odds be with you
Jay Wright and the Wildcats are off to their best start in a long time. How long? Try almost 60 years. Ranked No. 3 in the latest polls, Villanova remains unbeaten at 7-0 in the Big East with designs on a No. 1 seed in March. The Wildcats host Notre Dame on Wednesday when they will face one of the conference's top players, Luke Harangody. ESPN has the broadcast from Wachovia Center in Philadelphia at 7 p.m. (ET).
The Villanova Wildcats have never been better. Literally.
The Wildcats (18-1 SU, 14-4 ATS) are off to the best start in school history. We’re talking about a varsity basketball program that began in 1920 and has been to the NCAA Tournament 30 times since then.
But only once before did the Wildcats start the season 18-1, and that was way back in 1950-51. Villanova is also undefeated in the Big East this year at 7-0 (6-1 ATS). Can the ‘Cats run the table?
Wednesday’s opponent might not be your first choice to stop Villanova’s hot streak. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (15-5 SU, 7-6-1 ATS) are 4-3 SU and 3-3-1 ATS in Big East play. Before that, the Irish lost to Northwestern (+6.5) and Loyola Marymount (+21) in non-conference action.
And you couldn’t have asked for a softer schedule: Notre Dame ranks No. 343 out of the 347 Division I teams in strength of non-con opposition. Villanova is battle-tested by comparison at No. 193; the one loss was against the rival Temple Owls (+3) in their building.
Strength of schedule is one of the primary reasons you’ll find Notre Dame ranked No. 80 on Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball efficiency charts, barely ahead of struggling St. John’s (No. 84) and South Florida (No. 86). It’s a fair comparison. On January 5, Notre Dame went to the Sun Dome and escaped with a 74-73 victory over the Bulls (+1).
Villanova is coming off a solid 81-71 win over the Red Storm (+7) at Madison Square Garden. The ‘Cats came back from an early 11-point deficit to salt the game away in the second half.
Solid, yes, but Ken Pomeroy only has Villanova ranked at No. 15 in team efficiency, fourth in the Big East behind Syracuse (No. 3), West Virginia (No. 7) and Georgetown (No. 14).
The Wildcats have their issues on defense; opponents have a combined effective field-goal percentage of 46.2, or No. 75 overall. That includes 33.3 percent from behind the arc, which ranks No. 139 in Division I. The ‘Cats make up for it with rebounding and the No. 3-rated offense in the country; no coincidence, then, that the 'over' is 13-5 on the season and 12-1 in Villanova’s last 13 games.
Notre Dame has the same slant toward the offensive end, but it’s even more pronounced. The Irish are No. 4 on offense and (gulp) No. 256 on defense, allowing an effective FG% of 49.6 (No. 208 overall). This is not the kind of team you want guarding Villanova’s deep, deep backcourt; Notre Dame has allowed a 36.9 success rate from long range (No. 280), and the ‘Cats have one of the most dangerous shooters in the game in Big East Player of the Year candidate Scottie Reynolds (18.7 points per game, .424 on 3-pointers). The 'over' is 8-5 for Notre Dame this season.
Even with these flaws, the Irish continue to be talked about as a possible Tournament team, even picking up a couple of votes in the most recent coaches’ poll. Brand-name recognition has something to do with it, as does the presence of senior Luke Harangody, the 2008 Big East Player of the Year and a force to be reckoned with at 24.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
It’s a lot harder to tie a name or a face to Villanova, other than former head coach Rollie Massimino. Square bettors put value on these attachments by making square bets.
Harangody’s awesomeness also masks Notre Dame’s exceedingly thin bench. The Irish reserves are playing just 18.5 percent of the team’s minutes, which puts them No. 343 in the nation in bench strength and goes a long way to explaining why Notre Dame has trouble holding onto leads in the second half. Villanova’s reserves see nearly twice as much action at 34.6 percent (No. 109) and were vital to that second-half rally over St. John’s.
Looks like the blueprints are in for Wednesday’s matchup on ESPN (7:00 p.m. ET). May the betting odds be with you
