Kentucky Wildcats vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Kentucky Wildcats have surely looked unbeatable since the postseason began, and they have been as they arrive at the Elite 8 with a perfect 37-0 record. The Wildcats' biggest weakness is perhaps the offense, and that is where this game could be a true test vs. Notre Dame. The Irish are by far the best shooting team the Cats will have seen all season. If you look at the SEC, the best shooting team they saw all season that was at least Tourney caliber was LSU (45.5% ranked just #79), and the Tigers scored 69 points. Next was Arkansas (44.7%, and 107), and the Razorbacks scored 63 and 67 points in the two games. In out-of-conference play they faced good teams such as Providence, Kansas, and Louisville, all of which struggled shooting the ball. The only elite offense they saw was North Carolina (47.6%, 24) and the Heels got to 70 points on 45% shooting. Notre Dame shoots over 50% as a team, and I certainly think good offenses have managed to fare well against the Cats. Notre Dame should be able to shoot their way into this game, and stay inside the number. Take the points on Notre Dame.

John Calipari has put together some powerful teams with "one and done" high-end recruits. While he has done so again this year, he is missing some key upperclassmen ingredients and the pieces are coming together much slower. There are a lot of physical similarities between former Notre Dame star Luke Harangody, and Jack Cooley. What is happening now is that Cooley is starting to play like Harangody, averaging 14.3 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game. The Irish have seven players that are all contributing significantly, so they can go to the bench seamlessly. The Wildcats are playing well below expectations. Although they are 4-1 they have yet to cover a game, standing at just 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 out-of conference tilts including 0-4 ATS vs. the Big East. Play Notre Dame on the moneyline.