On Sunday, the (7-3 SU, 2-8 ATS) Notre Dame Fighting Irish and (7-3 SU, 4-6 ATS) Georgia Bulldogs will battle at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The Irish lost 79-64 to Marquette in their last game, and the Bulldogs fell 79-77 to Georgia Tech. These teams have not played often, with Georgia defeating Notre Dame 61-57 in the last meeting back in 2011.
Tip-off will be at 5:30 p.m. ET. The game total is 134 points, and the Fighting Irish are 1.5-point spread favorites.
Notre Dame has alternated wins and losses over its past five games. It started the season 5-0. The Fighting Irish were victorious in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, beating Michigan State 70-52, but lost two of its next three to Syracuse and Marquette.
In the 15-point defeat to the Golden Eagles, Notre Dame was outshot, outrebounded, and lost the turnover battle. The Fighting Irish trailed by five at the break but gave up 45 second-half points. Marquette scored the first seven points of the second half and didn't look back, stretching its lead to 77-57 with under three minutes left to play. The Irish were led by senior forward Nate Laszewski's 20 points.
easy money ??#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/1dFGBCvFy2
— Notre Dame Men's Basketball (@NDmbb) December 14, 2022
This season, Notre Dame is scoring 72.4 points on 47.2 percent shooting from the floor, including 37.7 percent from long range. Its leading scorer is Laszewski (14.9 PPG). The Fighting Irish also rely on contributions from senior guard Dane Goodwin (12.9 PPG and 4.9 RPG), senior guard Cormac Ryan (12.5 PPG), freshman guard J.J. Starling (12.5 PPG), and senior guard Trey Wertz (10.8 PPG and 4.1 APG). Goodwin is shooting 45.6 percent from the floor, 47.2 percent from three, and 90.0 percent from the free-throw line.
The Irish are ranked 30th in offensive efficiency adjusted for schedule, per KenPom. Their assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.36, the 31st-best ratio in the NCAA. On defense, Notre Dame gives up 68.9 points on 45.7 percent shooting, including 34.0 percent from three-point range. Its adjusted defensive efficiency is ranked 200th in the nation.