Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Predictions Picks Odds

Sports Betting Expert

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The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (18-13) meet the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (22-10) for a First Four matchup in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. Wednesday's tip-off is scheduled for 9:10 p.m. ET at the UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio and can be viewed on truTV.

Score Prediction

Rutgers 69, Notre Dame 66

Best Bet

Rutgers -102 ML
Over 131.5 (-110)

MARCH MADNESS BETTING RESOURCES

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS vs. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH PREDICTIONS

Rutgers and Notre Dame used to face each other on a fairly frequent basis, but since the Scarlet Knights moved from the Big East to the Big Ten, that scheduling situation has dried up. These teams last played March 13, 2013, a 69-61 win by the Irish in the Big East Tournament.

Rutgers looked like a bubble team, and a loss to Iowa in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament looked like the Knights might be playing in the NIT. But they get a chance to go to Dayton and play its way in, and that's good news for America, if you're unfamiliar with Ron Harper, Jr. The son of the former Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers standout is one of the most exciting players in the Big Ten.

Notre Dame ended up with 22 wins in the ACC, third place in the regular season, but without a real signature win. The team's last win over an NCAA Tournament team came at Miami-Florida on Feb. 2, a 68-64 victory as a 4.5-point underdog. Prior to that, the Irish topped North Carolina on Jan. 5, and then they beat fellow play-in team Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 22 in South Bend, and Kentucky on Dec. 11 at home. That's it. Four wins over NCAA Tournament teams, so they have 22 victories, but nothing to get terribly excited about.

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS vs. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH BETTING ODDS

Notre Dame -114
Rutgers -102
Notre Dame -1 (-109)
Rutgers +1 (-110)
Over 131.5 (-110)
Under 131.5 (-108)

More Odds | Futures Odds

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS vs. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Venue: UD Arena
Location: Dayton, Ohio
TV-Time: truTV - 9:10 p.m. ET

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 18-13
ATS: 13-16-2
O/U: 16-15

The Scarlet Knights have posted an 8-6 SU mark against teams in the NCAA Tournament field, while going 8-5-1 ATS in those games. The UNDER is 3-1 in the past four games against tournament teams, too.

Rutgers has posted just a 1-4-1 ATS mark across the past six games overall, while going 1-3-1 ATS in the past five against teams with a winning overall record. The good news is that the Scarlet Knights are an impressive 8-2-1 ATS in the past 11 games as an underdog.

For totals, it's all UNDER all the time for the Scarlet Knights, cashing in four of the past five games overall. The UNDER is also 6-1 in the past seven following a straight-up loss, while going 6-2 in the past eight after a non-cover last time out.

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

SU: 22-10
ATS: 16-15
O/U: 16-13-2

The Fighting Irish have managed a mediocre 3-3 SU record across the past six games, although they're 4-2 ATS during the span. And the OVER is a rather impressive 7-0-1 across the past eight games overall after a 4-0 UNDER run from Jan. 31-Feb. 9.

Notre Dame is 14-6 ATS in the past 20 games overall, while going 8-3 ATS in the past 11 games against teams with a winning overall mark. The Fighting Irish are 5-1 ATS in the past six after a straight-up loss, while going 6-0 ATS in the past six following a non-cover.

The Irish haven't had a lot of success in the NCAA Tournament lately, at least against the number. They're 1-4 ATS in the past five tournament games, while going 2-8 ATS in the past 10 as a favorite in the Big Dance. The Fighting Irish are also 1-7 ATS in the past eight neutral-floor games.

This is Notre Dame's first appearance since 2017, winning against Princeton before exiting with a loss to West Virginia. It went to the Elite Eight in 2016, too. However, this is the first time since 1990 that the Irish are a double-digit seed, and an 11-seed is its lowest in school history.

**Rutgers is 8-2-1 ATS in the past 11 games as an underdog. (AP)**

INSIDE THE STATS - RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS

Record: 18-13
PS/G: 67.9 (258th)
PA/G: 65.8 (76th)

INSIDE THE STATS - NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

Record: 22-10
PS/G: 72.5 (142nd)
PA/G: 66.8 (107th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

RUT: Geo Baker - G (12.0 PPG, 3.9 APG, 2.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG)
RUT: Ron Harper, Jr. - G (15.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, 44.0 FG%)
ND: Paul Atkinson, Jr. - F (12.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 58.1 FG%)
ND: Blake Wesley - G (14.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG)

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS vs. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH BETTING CONCLUSION

The Scarlet Knights easily have the most exciting player on the board in Ron Harper Jr., who can take over a game, and Geo Baker is a nice secondary scoring option. The Fighting Irish have the geographic proximity down, playing in nearby Dayton, a short jaunt from South Bend.

While Rutgers has dropped four of its past six games, all four losses were against NCAA Tournament teams. There is no shame in that. Notre Dame dropped three of its past six games, with a loss in the ACC Tournament to Virginia Tech, a loss at Florida State and a setback at Wake Forest, losses to a pair of non-tournament teams. Notre Dame is going to have its hands full trying to contain Baker and Harper, and those two will be the difference here.

MARCH MADNESS PICK RESOURCES

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS vs. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH BETTING TRENDS

Rutgers is 1-4-1 ATS in the past six games overall.
Rutgers is 8-2-1 ATS in the past 11 as an underdog.
Rutgers is 1-3-1 ATS in the past five vs. winning teams.
Notre Dame is 14-6 ATS in the past 20 games overall.
Notre Dame is 8-3 ATS in the past 11 vs. winning teams.
Notre Dame is 1-4 ATS in the past five NCAA Tournament games.
Notre Dame is 2-8 ATS in the past 10 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite.
Notre Dame is 1-7 ATS in the past eight eight neutral-site games.
The UNDER is 4-1 in the past five games for Rutgers.
The UNDER is 6-1 in the past seven for Rutgers after a SU loss.
The UNDER is 6-2 in the past eight for Rutgers after a non-cover.
The OVER is 7-0-1 in the past eight games for Notre Dame.
The OVER is 4-0-1 in the past five as a favorite for Notre Dame.
The OVER is 6-2 in the past eight neutral-site games for Notre Dame.
The UNDER is 15-5-1 in the past 21 NCAA Tournament games for Notre Dame.
The UNDER is 13-2 in the past 15 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite for Notre Dame.

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