NCAAB Odds, Pick for Notre Dame vs Marquette

When Marquette and Notre Dame scheduled a non-conference date, I'm sure both fanbases were intrigued. It could've been a great chance for two Midwest Catholic schools to measure themselves before starting their conference slates.

With the game approaching, it's lost its luster.

Marquette is one of the best teams in college basketball, with eyes on the Final Four. Notre Dame is in full re-build mode, with one of the youngest and least experienced teams in the nation.

The Golden Eagles take the floor as massive favorites. Here's NCAAB odds and a pick for Notre Dame vs. Marquette.

New Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry was excited to take one of the more interesting jobs in college basketball, though he starts with the cupboard totally bare.

Notre Dame ranks in the bottom-10 nationally in minutes continuity from last year and overall experience, per KenPom. The Irish are relying heavily on freshmen and sophomores, which has proven difficult so far this season.

Any good will earned with a neutral-court, overtime win over Oklahoma State is canceled out by a home loss to Western Carolina.

The Irish can't manufacture offense, shooting only 28% from long range, with turnovers on nearly one-fifth of their possessions.

Seven players on Notre Dame have taken more than 10 3s this season, with none hitting the national average percentage. Only one of those seven is making one-third of his looks. Shrewberry's two leading scorers — Markus Burton and Tae Davis — have combined to shoot 6-of-38 from downtown.

No matter what else is happening schematically, if the shooting and spacing are that troublesome, everything is going to suffer.

The must-have app for college basketball bettors

The best NCAAB betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets

DOWNLOAD NOW

If you're holding a futures ticket for a Marquette national title or Final Four run (like I happen to be), the first month of the season went about as expected.

The Golden Eagles have impressed in wins over Illinois, UCLA, Kansas and Texas. Their only losses came in the Maui title game to highly-ranked Purdue and in a true road game at rival Wisconsin.

Tyler Kolek looks like an All-American — as expected — but it's been the overall production from his teammates that's truly elevated this team to a title contender.

Kam Jones is a bona fide scorer. Oso Ighodaro is a weapon in the pick-and-roll game. Further down the roster, Shaka Smart has a litany of role players suited to complement his scoring threats.

One of my favorite things about this Marquette team is how it dictates every possession. Offensively, the Golden Eagles want to play fast. They're ninth in the nation in possession length, letting playmakers like Jones and Kolek operate in transition to create good looks.

But then defensively, Marquette has a knack for making opponents work for every bucket. The Golden Eagles rank 358th in possession length on that end of the floor.

Marquette wants you to grind for every scoring chance, then quickly counterpunch on any missed basket or turnover.

I'm a big believer in this Marquette team, especially in its home building. The Golden Eagles have been favored by eight or more points at home on four occasions this season, with a 3-1 record ATS.

Even with the strong start, the Marquette offense has room to improve. Over the six games prior to Marquette's win over Texas, the Golden Eagles shot just 29% from long range.

Some of that regression reared its head against the Longhorns — Marquette hit 14-of-30 from deep — but I think that continues here. Notre Dame's last five opponents have only hit 28% on 21 attempts per game in that stretch.

That sluggish Notre Dame offense is going to be forced into some bad looks at the rim, which should spark Marquette transition opportunities and chances for open 3s.

I'm taking the Golden Eagles if the spread stays under 20.

Pick: Marquette -19.5

The new ESPN Sportsbook is now online and you can use Action’s ESPN BET promo code TANBONUS for a new user welcome.