There’s nothing like midday hoops to watch during a Holiday. Notre Dame makes the trip to Washington D.C. to face the Howard Bison in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee.
This is sure to be a big moment for Howard, an HBCU competing in a nationally televised game against a brand-name opponent. Will Howard rise to the occasion as the underdog, or will Notre Dame prove to be a step above?
Check out our best free college basketball betting picks and predictions for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Howard Bison on Monday, January 17, to find out.
Notre Dame vs Howard odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Notre Dame opened as -10.5 favorites and the line still resides at the opening number as of the time of this writing. The same story applies to the total, which is at 149.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Notre Dame vs Howard predictions
Predictions made on 1/16/2022 at 11:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for the 2021-22 college basketball season, here are two of the best welcome bonuses available:
USA: Sign up with Caesars and get your first bet matched up to $1,001! Claim Now
Canada: Bet $1, get $100 in free bets when you sign up with BetVictor! Sign Up Now
Notre Dame vs Howard game info
• Location: Burr Gymnasium, Washington, DC
• Date: Monday, January 17, 2022
• Tip-off: 2:30 p.m. ET
• TV: FOX
Notre Dame at Howard betting preview
Injuries
Notre Dame: Robby Carmody G (Out), Elijah Taylor F (Out).
Howard: Wayne Bristol Jr. G (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 5-1-1 in Notre Dame's last seven games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Notre Dame vs. Howard.
Notre Dame vs Howard picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
After an ugly 4-29 season in 2019-20 in coach Kenneth Blakeney’s first season, there seemed to be some optimism building for the Bison. Howard made some waves last offseason, but the hype never came to fruition. Purdue transfer Nojel Eastern never ended up playing a single minute for the club, and 5-star recruit Makur Maker played less than 50 minutes before getting injured. Ultimately, the Bison went only 1-4 before bowing out of the season altogether.
Where does that leave Howard in 2021-22? The Bison sit with a 6-7 record and are feeling lucky to be back playing after having to shut down for 24 days for a coronavirus-related pause. The Bison will be extra motivated to succeed while playing in a nationally televised game. Heck, even alumnus Gus Johnson will be on play-by-play for Fox. Make no mistake about it: this is Howard’s Super Bowl.
Howard has played two power conference teams this season, losing 100-81 to Villanova and 85-73 to Georgetown. Putting up 81 points on a team of Villanova’s caliber is no small feat, and losing by 12 on the road against Georgetown is nothing to sneeze at, either.
Notre Dame has been hot lately, winning four straight to begin ACC play before falling to Virginia Tech on Friday. That being said, this is a tough travel spot for the Fighting Irish, who are in game two of a three-game road swing. Bad weather in Blacksburg forced the Irish to leave town earlier than expected. The Irish may be in a hurry to get back to conference play, and no one could blame them for overlooking this game while peeking ahead to their next one against Louisville.
Howard has proven capable offensively when stepping up in competition, and they’ve kept the game reasonably close each time. This is arguably the biggest game of the season for the Bison on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, at home, for a nationally televised game. We can’t pick against the Bison in this spot, especially at that spread.
Prediction: Howard +10.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
This Howard team can really score, averaging 79.2 points per game. It’s been a team effort with four players (Kyle Foster, Steve Settle, Elijah Hawkins, and Tai Bibbs) averaging double-digits. If this team can score 81 points against Villanova, then you know the Bison’s offense is legit. Expect the Bison to play at their usual breakneck pace. Howard ranks 42nd nationally with 74.2 possessions per game.
The Fighting Irish are 7-1 to the Over in their last 8 road games and 5-1-1 in their last seven overall. Howard, meanwhile, is 5-2-1 to the Over in its last eight home games.
Notre Dame ranks within the Top 75 in 3-point shooting and free throw percentage, so they should be able to take advantage of a weak Howard defense allowing over 70 points per game.
The Bison rank 46th nationally with a 47.3% field goal percentage while Notre Dame ranks just 253rd in field goal percentage allowed. The Bison should be able to cash in from deep. They rank 12th nationally shooting 39.2% from beyond the arc. Notre Dame is especially prone to the three-ball, ranking 281st in 3-point field goal percentage defensively.
Prediction: Over 149.5 (-110)
Best bet
The numbers say both teams will be able to score in this matchup.
Howard plays at a fast tempo and will be fired up to grab a win at home against a brand-name opponent on national television. As long as the hot shooting continues for the Bison, both teams should be able to score and push this one up Over the total.
Pick: Over 149.5 (-110)
Did you know that if you parlayed our Notre Dame vs. Howard picks, you could win $26.45 on a $10 bet?
Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
