Notre Dame vs. Rutgers NCAA Tournament First Four Preview and Pick (Archive)
It’s the ACC vs. the Big Ten in First Four NCAA Tournament action from Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday as Notre Dame faces Rutgers. Which way to lean at BMR’s top-rated sportsbooks?
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 – 09:10 PM EDT at UD Arena
No. 11 seed Notre Dame faces fellow No. 11 Rutgers in the First Four of the 2022 NCAA Tournament on Wednesday – shown on truTV -- from Dayton and the winner will take on Alabama in the first round of the West Region on Friday from San Diego.
Rutgers and Notre Dame didn’t play this season and last did in 2013. Because they are in the First Four, that means they were among the last four at-large teams in the Big Dance along with 12 seeds Indiana and Wyoming, who play on Tuesday.
The Scarlet Knights did play one ACC team this season: Beating Clemson 74-64 on Nov. 30. The Irish were 2-0 vs. Clemson, winning 72-56 and 76-61. Notre Dame played a few Big Ten schools: It lost 82-72 at Illinois on Nov. 29 and lost to Indiana 64-56 at a neutral site. Rutgers was 1-1 vs. Illinois and 1-0 vs. the Hoosiers.
Irish Shoot Well From Deep
I’m a bit surprised that Notre Dame barely made it into the field with a 22-10 overall record and 15-5 mark in the ACC, tied for second with North Carolina – although no question the ACC was a bit down this year. The Irish didn’t close the season all that well, losing three of six. It was knocked off in its ACC Tournament opener 87-80 by eventual champion Virginia Tech.
It’s a veteran team led by Yale graduate transfer Paul Atkinson Jr. (12.3 ppg) – he was the 2019-20 Ivy League Player of the Year who didn’t play in the 2020-21 season because the Ivy League shut down during the pandemic – and seniors Dane Goodwin (13.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who was third-team All-ACC, and Prentiss Hubb (9.1 ppg, 4.0 apg).
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Coach Mike Brey does have one of the better freshmen in the ACC in Blake Wesley (14.6 ppg), who was second-team All-ACC and a member of the league’s All-Rookie Team. Wesley is the only true freshman in the country with at least 450 points, 100 rebounds, 75 assists, 50 made three-pointers, and 30 steals. He’s actually from South Bend, where Notre Dame is located.
The Irish aren’t a great offensive team overall in averaging 72.5 points per game, but are among the national leaders in three-point shooting (38%), and they are the only major conference school in the country with two players in the top five in three-point field goal percentage in Nate Laszewski (3rd, .468) and Goodwin (5th, .448). The Irish have connected on 10-or-more three-pointers 15 times this season and are 14-1 in those games.
It's the first NCAA Tournament appearance for Notre Dame since 2017, which surprised me. The Irish are +6500 to win the West Region, +10000 for the Final Four, and +15000 for the national title. Can’t say I’d recommend any of those wagers.
Notre Dame is 1-7 against the spread on the NCAAB picks in its past eight neutral-site games.
Scarlet Knights Have Proven Dangerous
Rutgers (18-13) made history earlier this season by becoming the first unranked team to beat four straight-ranked opponents. They are capable of beating anyone – also upset Purdue when the Boilermakers were No. 1, the first win over a No. 1 team in school history -- but equally capable of losing to anyone, frankly. The Scarlet Knights lost their Big Ten Tournament opener to eventual champion Iowa 84-74.
The school gave coach Steve Pikiell a big extension last week. He is now signed through the 2029-30 season and is set to make another $16 million under the deal, including performance and retention bonuses.
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It’s the first time Rutgers has reached the Big Dance in a second straight season since 1976 when they reached the Final Four. Rutgers lost to Houston in the second round of last season's tournament. The first-round win over Clemson was the Scarlet Knights’ first victory in the Big Dance since 1983.
Ron Harper Jr. (15.6 ppg, 39% shooting from deep), the son of former NBA player Ron Harper, is the team’s star. Harper Jr. was named All-Big Ten second team, the highest recognition ever received by a Scarlet Knight in that league. Geo Baker was named third team.
Guard Caleb McConnell was honored with the first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award and led the conference with 67 total steals. In that history-making four-game winning streak over ranked foes, McConnell had at least four steals in each. He was also selected as a semifinalist for the 2022 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award.
"In my 30-plus years of coaching, I have coached a lot of great defenders and I can truly say Caleb McConnell is a one-of-a-kind defensive player, who can guard all five spots," Pikiell said.
Rutgers is +6500 to win the West Region (I do think it could be Alabama in Round 1), +10000 for the Final Four, and +15000 for the national title. The Knights are 5-2-1 ATS on the NCAAB odds in their past eight vs. teams with a winning percentage above .600. They tend to play to their level of competition, and I think will win here.
NCAAB Pick: Rutgers PK (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.