Sports Betting – Two Mismatches Greet The Thursday Night Schedule

Some college basketball games truly generate a substantial degree of intrigue for sports betting fans even if a raw merit-based comparison points toward a lopsided matchup. Others are just blowouts.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ DePaul Blue Demons

Thursday, 9:05 PM ET

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It’s really difficult to see how this will become a competitive game. Notre Dame butters its bread at the defensive end of the floor. The Fighting Irish play gritty, physical slow-tempo basketball and place a premium on every single possession. Coach Mike Brey has presided over a lot of midseason collapses during his tenure at Notre Dame because a number of his teams have been soft. However, last year’s squad developed a reputation for being very resilient in the face of both pressure and adversity. This year, Notre Dame is playing the very best defense of the entire Brey era. A 56-51 win at Pittsburgh last week marked the crowning jewel of the season for the Fighting Irish, who are not going to be sweating out Selection Sunday this season.

Since Notre Dame has become a blue-collar kind of team, a five-man gang that brings its lunch pails to work, this is precisely the situation in which the Irish should thrive. DePaul could spring an upset in the Big East if its opponent doesn’t take the Blue Demons seriously, but that’s just the point: Notre Dame, unlike its 2009 team (which missed the NCAA Tournament), does not take nights off. The Irish might not shoot the ball very well, but they’ll always play with effort and intensity. That’s why DePaul has little chance to prevail in Rosemont, Illinois. Take the Irish and don’t doubt your selection for a minute.

Sports Betting Pick: Notre Dame

Pepperdine Waves @ Saint Mary’s (CA) Gaels

Thursday, 10:05 PM ET

When Saint Mary’s lost at Portland last Saturday by a double-digit margin, it shouldn’t have been too surprising. The Gaels had just played Gonzaga, the longtime power of the West Coast Conference, late Thursday night. A 73-71 win over the Zags proved to be an emotionally and physically draining contest. Saint Mary’s just had nothing left in the tank when it made the trip from Spokane to Portland to play the Pilots. The schedule was just brutal for SMC last week, so a split on that road trip should be viewed as a positive accomplishment. Now, the Gaels get a few days of rest and a chance to return home. Tucked inside the cozy confines of McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, Calif., Saint Mary’s and coach Randy Bennett should be ready to bring the hammer to a Pepperdine team that has been outclassed for most of the West Coast Conference regular season. If Saint Mary’s is going to lose to a team other than Gonzaga in the WCC this year, it’s going to come on the road or in a neutral-court environment. Saint Mary’s is almost unbeatable at home against lower-tier conference foes. Take the Gaels in this game, which shouldn’t be terribly close.

Sports Betting Pick: Saint Mary’s

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