Coaches vs Cancer tournament action tips off with Saint Joseph's facing Notre Dame on Friday. This game is being played at a neutral-site court (Barclays Center) in Brooklyn. The Hawks and the Fighting Irish each come off easy wins a few days ago; both covered the spread.
Notre Dame's inside game will be key as the No. 20 Irish face Saint Joes in the semifinals of the annual preseason tournament.
View Notre Dame vs Saint Josephs Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
The Hawks were listed as 3.5-point underdogs at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark earlier in the day. It opened first at Sportsbook, where the total was expected shortly.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Hawks rated this week at No. 67 and the Fighting Irish sitting at No. 60. It may or may not play a role in Odds Shark score prediction modelling that produced a 81-73 result in favor of the Hawks.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Saint Joseph's's No. 279-ranked offense, averaging 61 PPG, against a Fighting Irish defense that ranks No. 38 at 53 PPG. The Hawks field goal percentage has averaged 42.9% so far, less than the Fighting Irish marksmen have achieved on the year, 47.6% per game.
Defensively, Notre Dame features the nation's No. 1-rated defense on the road, allowing 0 points per game. Saint Joseph's, meanwhile, comes in at No. 257 nationally in scoring at home.
Last time out for Notre Dame, they were an 84-57 Sportsbook as they battled Monmouth at home. The Fighting Irish blew out Monmouth on Monday, running up a 20+ point victory in an 84-57 win at Joyce Center.
Saint Joseph's was a 61-35 Sportsbook in its last match at home against Yale. They covered the 15-point spread as favorites. Saint Joseph's cruised to victory on Monday, running Yale out of the gym and running up a 61-35 score at Hagan Arena.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
After playing Monmouth are 2-1
After a win are 8-2
Saint Joseph's Hawks Trends:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing Harvard are 2-0
After a win are 3-7
Next up:
Notre Dame home to George Washington, Wednesday, November 21
Saint Joseph's home to Harvard, Tuesday, November 20
