Notre Dame vs. South Florida
Free Pick: South Florida +2 -110 odds
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I don’t think Notre Dame should be favored in this spot. The Irish are coming off their first true road game of the season at Connecticut and it was not a good result as they lost by 12 points to move to 1-1 in the Big East so far this year. They are 12-3 overall but this has come by way of playing a schedule ranked 316th in the nation. They have a big advantage down low with Big East Preseason Player of the Year Luke Harangody as he is averaging 24.2 ppg and 10.1 rpg. He could have a very big game here as the Bulls are not a big team with the loss of Augustus Gilchrist but that does not lead to a definite as he put up 31 points against the Huskies, over 44 percent of the total points, and it still resulted in a loss. This game will be won up top and while the guard play of Notre Dame has been solid, a lot of that was due to the schedule already played. South Florida lost its Big East opener at Louisville which was a disappointment as the Bulls trailed by just a point at the half but a big run to start the second half by the Cardinals enabled them to run away with it. The Bulls are 10-3 on the season which is tied for the best start in school history so this is definitely a team on the rise and they are no longer the punching bag of the conference. The guard trio of Dominique Jones, Chris Howard and Mike Mercer has had a solid start to the season as they are averaging a combined 34.8 ppg and 10.2 apg. They matchup very well with the Notre Dame backcourt and forward/center Jarrid Famous will need to hold his own against Harangody. Only Louisville dominated South Florida but again that was just fore a half as the other two losses came by just by three points. This is a much stronger team at home and even when the Bulls were much weaker the past few years, they gave fits to a lot of elite teams down in South Florida. This could be a signature win to start the season and one to provide some momentum heading into a tough stretch coming up. 3* South Florida Bulls

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