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College Basketball

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Alabama Crimson Tide Picks, Predictions, Odds

Daniel Dobish
Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert
6 minute read

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (23-10) of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) will meet the Alabama Crimson Tide (19-13) of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in first-round action in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 4:15 p.m. ET at Viejas Arena in San Diego, Calif., and the game can be viewed on TNT.

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Score Prediction

Notre Dame 78, Alabama 75

Best Bet

Notre Dame +160 ML
Notre Dame +4 (-108)

NCAA Tournament Expert Picks | NIT Tournament Picks

MARCH MADNESS BETTING RESOURCES

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH vs. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE PREDICTIONS

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame outlasted the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a pretty entertaining play-in game in Dayton, winning 89-87 in double-overtime. The OVER easily cashed for the Irish, and the the offense has been on point for Notre Dame lately. The Irish has scored 78 or more points in five of the past six outings.

Notre Dame shot 51% (37-of-72) against Rutgers, including 32% (6-of-19) from downtown, while turning it over just five times for the entirety of the game. If there was an area which needs vast improvement, it is on free throws, as the Irish managed just 56% (9-of-16) from the charity stripe. Paul Atkinson Jr. hit 13-of-15 from the field, ending up with 26 points, six boards and two blocked shots. Four players ended up with 12 or more points.

Alabama limps into the NCAA Tournament, losing three games in a row, including against two non-NCAA Tournament teams in Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. Of course, head coach Buzz Williams of the Aggies might debate that. Since Jan. 8, Alabama is 8-10 SU and 4-13-1 ATS in the past 18 games overall.

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH vs. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING ODDS

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NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH vs. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING RESOURCES

  • Date: Friday, March 18, 2022
  • Matchup: No. 11 vs. No. 6
  • Region: West
  • Venue: Viejas Arena
  • Location: San Diego, Calif.
  • TV-Time: TNT - 4:15 p.m. ET

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH TIDE BETTING ANALYSIS

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

  • SU: 23-10
  • ATS: 17-15
  • O/U: 17-13-2

The Fighting Irish got the juices flowing with an entertaining win over Rutgers, now they must traverse the nation with a cross-country flight from Dayton to San Diego in time for Friday's game. Notre Dame gets an opponent which isn't exactly playing well, so there is a chance we could see a repeat of past years, when a team went from the play-in game deep into the tournament.

Prior to that win over Rutgers, the Irish weren't exactly lighting the world on fire, though. They lost the first game of the ACC Tournament to Virginia Tech, although that looks a little better since the Hokies ended up winning the entire ball of wax. But Notre Dame is still 4-3 SU across the past seven games overall, but a much less mediocre 5-2 ATS during the span.

The Irish have covered nine of the past 12 against winning teams, while going 4-1 ATS in the past five games an underdog. Notre Dame is also 11-5 ATS in the past 16 games following a straight-up win. However, it is 2-7 ATS in the past nine neutral-site games, and 0-5 ATS in the past five neutral-site games as an underdog.

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING ANALYSIS

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

  • SU: 19-13
  • ATS: 11-20-1
  • O/U: 22-10

The Crimson Tide have dropped three in a row, and Alabama is an absolutely atrocious 5-18-1 ATS across the past 24 games overall. Alabama is also 2-6 ATS in the past eight games against teams with a winning overall record, while going 7-19 ATS in the past 26 games as a favorite.

Alabama hasn't had a lot of success in the NCAA Tournament lately, either, at least against the number. It is 1-6 ATS in the past seven games in the NCAA Tournament as a favorite.

The Crimson Tide has cashed the OVER in 20 of the past 27 games overall, while going OVER in four of the past five games as a favorite. The OVER is 5-0 in the past five neutral-site games, while going OVER in five of the past six games following a non-cover, too.

Notre Dame has covered 15 of its past 21 games overall. (AP)

INSIDE THE STATS - NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

  • Record: 23-10
  • PS/G: 72.5 (143rd)
  • PA/G: 66.8 (107th)

INSIDE THE STATS - ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

  • Record: 19-13
  • PS/G: 80.0 (10th)
  • PA/G: 76.4 (326th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • 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)
  • BAMA: Jahvon Quinerly - G (14.3 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.0 RPG, 41.4 FG%)
  • BAMA: Jaden Shackelford - G (16.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 35.5 3P%)

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH vs. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING CONCLUSION

There is a lot of confidence a team picks up winning the play-in game in Dayton. We've seen it from UCLA, we've seen it from VCU. Teams which win the game in Dayton, they catch fire, and go on a run. Notre Dame isn't a bad team. It topped Rutgers in 2 OT. The Irish have wins over NCAA Tournament teams Miami, North Carolina, Kentucky and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Notre Dame can beat most teams on any given day.

Alabama looked like a team which was on its way to big things, even possibly a 1-seed at one point. But the Crimson Tide powered it down big time, going from 8-1 SU, posting an 11-12 SU record since Dec. 14, a loss at Memphis. The Crimson Tide showed earlier in the season that they can beat anybody. The Tide is one of three teams to score a win against the No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga. Unfortunately for the Tide, that win in Seattle on a neutral floor seems like a lifetime ago. Notre Dame is going to add to their woes, leaving Alabama fans scratching their heads wondering what could have been.

MARCH MADNESS PICK RESOURCES

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH vs. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE BETTING TRENDS

  • Notre Dame is 15-6 ATS in the past 21 games overall.
  • Notre Dame is 4-1 ATS in the past five as an underdog.
  • Notre Dame is 9-3 ATS in the past 12 vs. winning teams.
  • Notre Dame is 5-12 ATS in the past 17 NCAA Tournament games.
  • Notre Dame is 2-7 ATS in the past nine neutral-site games.
  • Alabama is 7-18-1 ATS in the past 26 games overall.
  • Alabama is 7-19 ATS in the past 26 as a favorite.
  • Alabama is 2-6 ATS in the past eight vs. winning teams.
  • Alabama is 1-6 ATS in the past seven NCAA Tournament games as a favorite.
  • The OVER is 8-0-1 in the past nine games overall for Notre Dame.
  • The OVER is 4-0 in the past four vs. winning teams for Notre Dame.
  • The UNDER is 15-6-1 in the past 22 NCAA Tournament games for Notre Dame.
  • The OVER is 20-7 in the past 27 games overall for Alabama.
  • The OVER is 4-1 in the past five as a favorite for Alabama.
  • The OVER is 5-0 in the past five neutral-site games for Alabama.

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Daniel Dobish

Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish
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