Louisville Cardinals at Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Joyce Center, South Bend, IN
Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 7:00 pm Eastern, TV: ESPNU
Opening Line: Notre Dame -4
Current Line: Notre Dame -4
Opening Total: 137
Current Total: 138
Money Line: Notre Dame -175 / Louisville +155
The eighth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (19-4, 8-3 Big East) will be going for their 17th straight home win on Wednesday when they host the depleted 18th-ranked Louisville Cardinals (18-5, 7-3). The Fighting Irish (-4) are 14-0 at the Joyce Center and have seen the home team win each of the last six meetings with the Cardinals, three of which have been decided in overtime.
Notre Dame has won five straight games following a two-game skid, going 4-1 against the spread during that stretch. The failed cover came last Sunday after a 76-69 home win against Rutgers. The Irish were favored at -11.5 and could not stretch the lead enough against the Scarlet Knights to reward their followers. They led 37-33 at halftime and got a game-high 25 points from senior guard Ben Hansbrough, who continues to impress with his consistent play.
“It was a hard game for us,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. “It was good for our group because I think we’re going to be in a lot of games like this the rest of the way.”
Hansbrough is averaging over 21 points and nearly five assists over the last six games. He has also played 39 of 40 minutes four times in the past five games, drawing praise from his coach.
“When you step back a bit, look at this, and get away from the preseason hype machine, certainly he is a Big East Player of the Year candidate as well as National Player of the Year,” said Brey.
Meanwhile, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino hopes to have leading scorer Preston Knowles back from a hamstring injury for this game after he missed Saturday’s 61-57 victory against a DePaul team that remains winless in Big East play. Knowles averages 14.9 points per game and joined injured forwards Rakeem Buckles and Jared Swopshire along with center Gorgui Dieng on the bench. Other starters dealing with injuries include Chris Smith (eye) and Peyton Siva (back).
The Cardinals are 2-3 on the road against conference opponents, but their last two losses away from home were both decided by five points or less. They also won 79-78 in double overtime at #10 Connecticut on January 29, proving they can succeed in a tough environment.
Louisville has covered its last two road games, and the UNDER is 4-1 in the team’s past five games overall. The OVER is 3-1 in Notre Dame’s last four games overall and has also cashed in the past four meetings with the Cardinals.
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