The No. 11 seed Fighting Irish will dance with the No. 3 seed Texas Tech in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, following a record-breaking showing from the Red Raiders and an impressive upset from Notre Dame.
Texas Tech — which has a 7.5-point lead in Sunday’s clash with Notre Dame — entered this tournament flexing a Herculean defense, but its first-round title belongs entirely to offense. The Red Raiders’ 97 points are the most the program has ever scored in a tournament and they did it with sickening accuracy; 67.9% of the field and 60% of the beyond the arc. They set the tone early, nailing four 3-pointers in the first five minutes to dig a must-have hole for Montana State.
But if Texas Tech can claim the glamorous history of the big score, then the Fighting Irish deserve equal glory for a gritty two-game run – a double-overtime victory and an emphatic upset against No. 6 Alabama in the first round. .
Notre Dame’s aggressive offense from beyond the arc paid off against a Crimson Tide side known for their tenacity from close quarters, as the Fighting Irish fired 10 3-point shots. It can be helpful to watch for signs of fatigue. Notre Dame’s top 7 play a tonne minutes, and they pre-played the first round with a double-overtime drop and late-night steal.
A win here would put the Fighting Irish in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016, while Texas Tech advanced most recently in 2018 and 2019.
What: West Region, second round
Denunciation time: TBD Sunday
TV: To be determined
Location: Viejas Arena, San Diego
Odds, Over/Under, Moneyline
| Team | propagated | Total | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|
|
+260 |
|||
|
-7.5 |
132.5 |
-350 |
All BetMGM odds. Click here for live odds.
NBA Draft Prospects
Kevin McCullar, Texas Tech junior guard, potential second round
Blake Wesley, Notre Dame freshman guard, end of first round
See the full big picture of Sam Vecenie’s NBA draft
Choice of experts
Staff expert predictions and a model projection will be added on Saturday.
More NCAA men’s basketball tournament coverage
(Photo by Kevin Obanor: Grant Halverson/Getty Images; The Athletic may receive an affiliate commission if you open an account with BetMGM via the links in the article above)
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