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Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Free Pick

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (15-15) vs North Carolina Tar Heels (22-7)

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish started the season as a sleeper in the ACC but other than beating Duke in their very first ACC game not much has gone right. They were supposed to have one of the best guard combos in the league but with one of their lead dogs no longer even on the team the burden has fallen to PG Eric Adkins. [ad-4468020]

Monday March 3
Dean Dome – Chapel Hill, NC
7:00PM

Moneyline: No moneyline currently listed
Spread: North Carolina -11
Total: No total currently listed

Notre Dame

He has done his best to keep the ship afloat but his game is better suited to blending in than dominating.

Even still he has been the leading scorer for the Fighting Irish this season. Though he can exert some measure of control on a game he is just not a good enough scorer to really take over. The Irish have 3 players that average 13ppg but none of them are a takeover the game kind of stars. C Garrick Sherman has size and SG Pat Connaughton can shoot but both need Adkins to get them the ball in the right spots – making it easy for defenses to load up on the PG who rests just 2 minutes per game.

It is hard to bet with Notre Dame this season. They have played some of their best games against the best teams on their schedule but other than their win against Duke have always come up just a little bit short. With pretty much nothing to play for I am not sure this is the right time to back them.
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North Carolina

The Tar Heels are one of the hottest teams in the country. This team still has some flaws for me but they are playing through them and winning, which they weren’t doing earlier in the year. This is not one of the best teams in America but it is hard to argue with the collection of wins they have this season. Maybe no other team has a group of victories like they have over Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan State and Duke.

He does not get as much pub as some other players but PG Marcus Paige is as valuable to the Tar Heels as any other player in the country is to theirs. He has become an high level scorer this season and I am amazed with how he can overcome having a bad first half to take over in the second. That is what elite players do. PF James Michael McAdoo continues to disappoint but as a complementary player I guess he is OK.

North Carolina has won eleven games in a row. They have a 9-2 ATS record over that span but those two ATS losses have come in the last two games. Are the Tar Heels playing with fire or are they just getting too much attention that the value is getting sucked out. North Carolina is always going to be a public team, even more so when they are playing well.

Spread prediction: North Carolina -11
Total prediction: N/A
Score prediction: North Carolina 77 – Notre Dame 63

By The Wiesguy

The Wiesguy is a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.