The No. 14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will commence their season when they clash with the Mount St. Marys Mountaineers (0-1) at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Action begins at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, November 13, 2017, and it can be seen on ESPN 3.
Mount St. Marys Mountaineers at Notre Dame Fighting Irish Free Preview
The Mountaineers were blown out by the Marquette Golden Eagles in their last matchup, 80-59. Mount St. Marys Junior Robinson put together a good performance, leading the team in scoring with 20 points on 9-for-20 shooting. Marquette won the rebounding battle. The Golden Eagles had more offensive rebounds (10 vs. four), defensive rebounds (25 vs. 20) and total rebounds (35 vs. 24).
Notre Dame reached the Second Round last season as a five seed in the tournament, where they were defeated by the West Virginia Mountaineers. In the regular season, the Fighting Irish went 25-9.
Based on historical performance heading into this one, ball protection could play a key role in this matchup. Since the 2016-17 season, Notre Dame committed the fewest miscues in the NCAA (turnover percentage of 14.1 percent), while the ball-hawking defense of Mount St. Marys forced the 29th-most (opponents turnover percentage of 21.8 percent). Also, the Mountaineers, who rank 287th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.215), could have a difficult time getting to the line against the Fighting Irish, who rank 33rd in opponents FTA rate (0.197).
Mount St. Marys Mountaineers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Mount St. Marys, ATS Winner – Mount St. Marys, O/U – Over
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
- The Mountaineers rank fifth in three pointers allowed per game (15.6) while the Fighting Irish rank 127th (20.4).
- Notre Dame ranks 188th in rebounds allowed per game (35.5) while Mount St. Marys ranks 262nd (37.5).
- Notre Dame ranks 42nd in assists per game (15.7) while Mount St. Marys ranks 276th (11.2).
- The Mountaineers rank 44th in blocks allowed per game (2.7) while the Fighting Irish rank 227th (4.0).
- Notre Dame ranks 43rd in steals allowed per game (5.2) while Mount St. Marys ranks 186th (6.5).
