Two teams hoping to see more success in their second years under new head coaches will face off as the Georgetown Hoyas host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday afternoon.
The Fighting Irish look to be further along in their rebuild, and I’m taking them to cover as a road favorite in my Notre Dame vs. Georgetown predictions.
See my full analysis of this intriguing matchup below in my free college basketball picks for Saturday, November 16.
Notre Dame vs Georgetown prediction
My best bet
Notre Dame -2.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
Many big-name programs are getting their first true tests of the year this weekend, and that’s true for both the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Georgetown Hoyas. Both teams are off to 2-0 starts against weaker competition; both have had moments where they would have liked to have seen better performances against teams they should have dominated.
Notre Dame opened with a big win over the Stonehill Skyhawks but struggled a bit to put away the Buffalo Bulls, winning 86-77 at home in a game where the Fighting Irish were 23.5-point favorites.
The Irish could potentially have three explosive scoring options — Markus Burton, Tae Davis, and Braeden Shrewsberry are all averaging 18 points per game early in the season — and have a number of experienced contributors, including senior transfers Matt Allocco and Nikita Kostantynovskyi.
Georgetown is also expecting improvement in its second year under head coach Ed Cooley. The Hoyas have gotten wins over the Lehigh Mountain Hawks and the Fairfield Stags but failed to cover in either game, winning by 12 points or fewer against teams they’d like to be blowing out as they bring the program back to prominence.
Georgetown has improved its talent level going into this year. Freshman forward Thomas Sorber has looked like an immediate star, averaging 22.5 points and 11 rebounds per game over his first two games at the college level, but he’ll face his first real resistance on Saturday, as Notre Dame’s Kebba Njie is an experienced interior defender with the size and athleticism to keep up with Sorber.
That’s going to be a problem throughout the lineup for the Hoyas, as even their best players are facing tough defenders in this matchup. Unlike Sorber, the rest of the lineup can’t really say they were even dominant against lesser competition.
Jayden Epps (14.5 ppg) is shooting 40% from 3-point range but may not be able to sustain that after shooting around 30% in his first two seasons, and he won’t get so many open looks against the Irish.
Notre Dame has a deeper lineup that’s also more talented overall. That should wear on the Hoyas, who rely on a small number of key players to find ways to win games against weaker opponents. When those players aren’t clearly better than their opposition, Georgetown will struggle. There will be better days ahead for the Hoyas, but they don’t have the players to hang with Notre Dame on Saturday.
Notre Dame vs Georgetown same-game parlay
Notre Dame -2.5
Over 146.5
Georgetown team total Under 74.5
I like Notre Dame to come away with a clear and clean victory on Saturday, and that’s largely because I think more of their offensive weapons. That’s why I’ll be taking both the Irish to win and the Over for my SGP.
In addition, we’ll throw in a bet on Georgetown to come in Under a 74.5-point team total. I can’t see the Hoyas hitting the Over against a Notre Dame team that's expected to be solid defensively this year, while Georgetown only put up 69 in its last game against Fairfield.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Notre Dame vs Georgetown odds
Notre Dame vs Georgetown live odds
Notre Dame vs Georgetown opening odds
- Spread: Notre Dame -1 | Georgetown +1
- Moneyline: Notre Dame -140 | Georgetown +120
- Over/Under: Over 147 | Under 147
Odds courtesy of bet365.
Notre Dame vs Georgetown betting trend to know
Georgetown is just 2-6 TS in its last eight games. Find more college basketball betting trends for Notre Dame vs. Georgetown.
How to watch Notre Dame vs Georgetown
| Location: | Capital One Arena, Washington, DC |
| Date: | Saturday, 11-16-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | NBC |
Notre Dame vs Georgetown key injuries
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