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It's time to continue our Women's College Basketball odds series with a UConn-Notre Dame prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UConn-Notre Dame.
This is yet another blockbuster in the early weeks of the women's college basketball season. We have seen a few games played on the West Coast, such as when UCLA crushed South Carolina and Notre Dame handled USC. This game takes place in South Bend, Indiana, as old rivals UConn and Notre Dame reunite.
It is one of the better intersectional battles in women's college hoops. Several years ago, both UConn and Notre Dame were annual Final Four teams. Former Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw went up against current UConn coach Geno Auriemma in memorable encounters. In the past few seasons, South Carolina has become the women's basketball program most schools measure themselves against, but for most of the 21st century, UConn was that program, and Notre Dame was one of the schools which constantly tried to knock UConn off its pedestal. If you were to ask Notre Dame fans which school they most want to beat in women's basketball, it's probably UConn.
Entering a season in which both teams were leading Final Four contenders, this game always figured to be huge. With both teams currently ranked in the top 10 as this game arrives, it has retained its status as one of the centrally interesting and defining games of the campaign.
UConn is unbeaten, with Paige Bueckers establishing herself as the early-season player of the year favorite in the women's game. Bueckers' injury troubles in previous seasons hurt UConn more than anything else. Auriemma didn't forget to coach; he just didn't have the depth or the injury luck to maintain the high standards he has set on the job. Last season, as though intent on reminding everyone he still has his fastball, Auriemma guided UConn to the Final Four despite a number of injuries. Bueckers was healthy enough to lead the Huskies back to the final weekend of the season, even though the Huskies were going with six- and seven-player rotations in the postseason.
Here are the UConn-Notre Dame Women's College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
Women's College Basketball Odds: UConn-Notre Dame Odds
UConn: -2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -140
Notre Dame: +2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +110
Over: 139.5 (-110)
Under: 139.5 (-110)
How to Watch UConn vs Notre Dame
Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN2
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why UConn Will Cover The Spread/Win
UConn lost to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in a tough Final Four national semifinal last spring. The Huskies don't have to worry about Clark this season, and they're unbeaten in their first eight games. Paige Bueckers is the best player in the country, which means she is likely to be the best player on the floor in this game. Notre Dame has lost twice, once to an unranked Utah team, so far this season. It's reasonable to say that UConn has been the better, more consistent team. The argument for UConn winning is not that complicated.
Why Notre Dame Will Cover The Spread/Win
The UConn roster has been shaken up by an injury. Azzi Fudd, one of the key players on the team and a legitimate star in her own right, won't play in this game. UConn isn't the same team without Fudd. More than that, it's early in the season, which means this Husky roster isn't accustomed to playing without Fudd. Given that this is a road game for UConn, dealing with the Fudd absence might become especially problematic against a talented Notre Dame team which has already beaten USC and Texas — two top-10 teams — this season.
Final UConn-Notre Dame Prediction & Pick
The Fudd injury makes us think Notre Dame clearly has the edge here. Take the Fighting Irish straight up.
Final UConn-Notre Dame Prediction & Pick: Notre Dame moneyline
