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The Kentucky Wildcats are set to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this weekend. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Kentucky Notre Dame prediction, odds, and pick.
People who follow college basketball odds and monitor the sport very closely are aware of the classic 2015 Elite Eight matchup between these two teams. Kentucky went to 38-0 with a stirring, close win over the valiant Fighting Irish in a memorable regional final. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey came as close as he has ever come to making the Final Four at Notre Dame.
The sad part of this story for Brey is that Notre Dame basketball really hasn't been the same since that point in time. The Fighting Irish have seemed to lose steam as a program. Irish hoops feels like a spent force, a program in need of a fresh start and a jolt of new energy. Brey has done a really good job in South Bend with the Irish, one of the better coaches in Notre Dame history and a worthy successor to legendary Digger Phelps, who brought the Fighting Irish to the Final Four in 1978 and memorably ended UCLA's 88-game winning streak in 1974. Yet, with this season becoming a disaster — 3-4 through seven games — it seems Brey and the Irish need to look for other marriages. This has to be kept in mind when making a Kentucky Notre Dame pick.
Notre Dame's losses to Saint Mary's and Illinois are nothing to be ashamed of. However, the Irish have lost to a not-very-good Texas A&M team, and they have lost by 16 points to Boston College, a lower-tier ACC team. Those results do not bode well for this game against John Calipari or for the rest of the season. This is part of the calculus in the formulation of the Kentucky Notre Dame odds.
Kentucky has lost only one game so far this season. The Wildcats lost to Duke in their opener but have then won seven straight. Yet, the Wildcats do not yet look like the juggernaut they hoped to be after missing the NCAA Tournament last season. Crucially, C.J. Fredrick, a transfer from Iowa who was supposed to give Kentucky a lot of 3-point shooting and floor-spacing capability, has been knocked out for the season with an injury. That's a devastating loss the Cats must work hard to overcome.
Kentucky has unsurprisingly looked sluggish in most of its games, grinding out wins but not finding the extra gear needed to crush its opponents. It's a work in progress for Calipari without a shooter he hoped would fill needed gaps on his 2021-2022 roster. If you are considering a Kentucky Notre Dame pick, you need to think about that particular roster limitation for Big Blue.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the odds:
College Basketball odds: Kentucky-Notre Dame Odds
Kentucky: -4.5 (-110)
Notre Dame: +4.5 (-110)
Over: 144.5 (-110)
Under: 144.5 (-110)
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Why Kentucky Could Cover the Spread
Notre Dame isn't very good. Even with Kentucky's roster flaws due to the Fredrick injury, Big Blue should physically overwhelm the Irish, who were blown out by Boston College. Doesn't that one result say everything which needs to be said?
Why Notre Dame Could Cover the Spread
The Kentucky Wildcats are clearly in search of a formula and an identity. They don't have all the weapons they hoped to have. They are trying to evolve as the season goes along, but their offense is not in a position to thrive given the current state of the roster.
Final Kentucky-Notre Dame Prediction & Pick
If Boston College could beat Notre Dame by 16 points, Kentucky should be able to win by at least five. It's as simple as that when thinking about a Kentucky Notre Dame pick.
Final Kentucky-Notre Dame Pick: Kentucky -4.5
