The ACC Tournament concludes its opening round when the No. 14 Wake Forest Demon Deacons dance with the No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Greensboro, North Carolina Tuesday night.
Notre Dame enters the postseason off a huge win in the season finale, knocking off No. 11 Florida State for the program’s first ranked win since 2017. The Irish try to avoid the letdown as 8-point college basketball betting favorites versus a Wake Forest squad entering the ACC Tournament on a seven-game slide (1-6 ATS).
These are our NCAA basketball betting free picks and predictions for Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame on March 9.
Wake Forest vs Notre Dame odds
Sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonTwinSpires opened Notre Dame as an 8-point favorite and this afternoon moved to -8.5, where the number sits about 30 minutes before tipoff. Point-spread ticket count is just shy of 2/1 and money is running 4/1 on the Fighting Irish. The total opened at 141.5 and is down a tick to 141, with the Over getting 63 percent of bets, but the Under taking 59 percent of cash, including some sharp play.
Check out the full line movement for this gameWake Forest Demon Deacons vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish betting preview
Injuries
Wake Forest: None.
Notre Dame: None.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Wake Forest is 0-6 ATS in its last six games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
Notre Dame’s strong start versus Florida State set the tone for Saturday’s upset win, defeating the Seminoles 83-73 as a 7-point home underdog. The Fighting Irish opened the game on a 19-5 run and posted 47 points in the first half, countering FSU’s quick-start offense.
In fact, first-half scoring has been a constant for Notre Dame. The team has scored totals of 47, 32, and 35 points in the first half of its last three games and ranks 51st in the country in average points per opening 20 minutes (36.5). That could make for quick work in Tuesday’s tilt with Wake Forest.
The Demon Deacons struggle mightily to get out of the blocks, posting point totals of 25, 29, and 22 in its last three efforts. On the year, Wake Forest musters only 29.1 first-half points away from home while allowing foes to run out to an average of 35.5 points before the halftime break.
The threat of a letdown spot and a possible backdoor cover – if Notre Dame races out to an early lead – are there, but there’s nothing to like about the Deacons at this point in the season, no matter how many points you hand them. During this seven-game losing skid, Wake Forest has lost by an average of more than 19 points per game. Gross.
PREDICTION: Notre Dame -8 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
The Irish are one of the better shooting teams in the ACC on the season, knocking down almost 37 percent of their looks from distance. Notre Dame has slumped from beyond the arc in the past few contests, however, making only 32.9 percent of those triples including a 9-for-27 day from outside versus FSU.
Notre Dame faces a Wake Forest defense that has struggled versus the 3-pointer, including allowing the Fighting Irish to go 10 for 23 from beyond the arc in their 79-58 victory on February 2. The Demon Deacons try to combat those shortcomings with a methodical pace (243rd in tempo) that limits their foes’ touches with the basketball.
Things have gotten really bad for Steve Forbes’ offense during this losing skid, topping out at 63 points while boasting an average of just 54.5 points per outing in the last six contests. Wake Forest doesn’t present a consistent threat from beyond the arc (32 percent last six games) and leaves points on the table at the stripe (64 percent FT last six).
PREDICTION: Under 141.5 (-110)
Wake Forest vs Notre Dame betting card
- Notre Dame -8 (-110)
- Under 141.5 (-110)
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