Notre Dame Basketball: Staff Picks - Wake Forest

Pat Rick, Editor (6-4) (11-9)

Previous Picks: North Carolina 89 - Notre Dame 80 (Maryland L, Arizona L, Florida W*, Wisconsin W)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 83 - Wake Forest Demon Deacons 79

“I think Wake gives ND a helluva game and it comes down to the wire, but the Irish finally break the losing streak and win at home behind Beachem and Colson and hopefully a better-shooting version of Vasturia.”

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Michigan State @ Michigan - Michigan State
St. Joe’s @ Dayton - Dayton
Rhode Island @ UMass - Rhode Island
Illinois @ Northwestern - Northwestern

Jeff Czerniakowski, Staff Writer (7-3) (9-11)

Previous Picks: North Carolina 85 - Notre Dame 72 (Purdue W, Arizona L, Kentucky L, Wisconsin W)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 78 - Wake Forest Demon Deacons 70

“Notre Dame has to win again, right? A home game against Wake Forest seems like the perfect game to snap the 4 game losing streak. The offense looked to get back on track for the most part against North Carolina. I'll take Beachem, Farrell, Colson, and hopefully Vasturia to out score the Demon Deacons.”

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Michigan State @ Michigan - Michigan
St. Joe’s @ Dayton - Dayton
Rhode Island @ UMass - UMass
Illinois @ Northwestern - Northwestern

Ryan Chichester, Staff Writer (7-3) (11-9)

Previous Picks: North Carolina 83 - Notre Dame 79 (Purdue W, Arizona L, Kentucky L, Wisconsin W)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 82 - Wake Forest Demon Deacons 75

“It's been a brutal stretch, but I liked a lot of what I saw from the Irish offense on Sunday against UNC. I'm looking for the veterans to break out and lead the scoring and use home court advantage to get the Irish back in the win column.”

BONUS PICKS

Michigan State @ Michigan - Michigan State
St. Joe’s @ Dayton - Dayton
Rhode Island @ UMass - UMass
Illinois @ Northwestern - Northwestern

Brad Wechter, Editor (6-4) (9-11)

Previous Picks: Notre Dame 73 - North Carolina 72 (Purdue W, Arizona L, Kentucky L, Wisconsin W)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 75 - Wake Forest Demon Deacons 62

“The Irish have some offensive momentum in the midst of a quick turnaround. They'll use this momentum to finally get back in the win column.”

BONUS PICKS

Michigan State @ Michigan - Michigan
St. Joe’s @ Dayton - Dayton
Rhode Island @ UMass - Rhode Island
Illinois @ Northwestern - Northwestern

Bobby Norell, Editor (5-5) (9-11)

Previous Picks: North Carolina 84 - Notre Dame 69 (Purdue W, Arizona L, Florida W, Wisconsin W)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 85 - Wake Forest Demon Deacons 77

“I’m going with the Irish and going with them to cover. They are desperately in need for a win. With a matchup with Florida State looming, I’m going to say this a must win for the Irish.

I liked what I saw from Notre Dame’s offense against UNC. They seem to have it trending in the right direction. It comes at a perfect time too because Wake Forest is not a defensive juggernaut whatsoever.

Look for Steve Vasturia to get back on track. He scored 7 first half points against UNC, but then finished with just 9. He’s not going to stay cold forever and a home matchup against a below-average defensive team is the perfect remedy for his cold stretch.

V.J. Beachem is coming off three straight 20+ point games. It would be nice for him and Vasturia to play well at the same time because that seems to be a rare occurrence this season.

It will be interesting to see how Notre Dame deals with Wake Forest’s size. Collins and Mitoglou, but I still like Notre Dame to come away with a W here.”

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Michigan State @ Michigan - Michigan
St. Joe’s @ Dayton - Dayton
Rhode Island @ UMass - Rhode Island
Illinois @ Northwestern - Northwestern

Joshua Vowles, Site Manager (6-4) (8-12)

Previous Picks: North Carolina 78 - Notre Dame 75 (Purdue W, Arizona L, Kentucky L, Wisconsin W)

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 71 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish 67

“The hiring of Mike Elko and Clark Lea has created the most ridiculous rivalry. Ridiculous, because we lose and sadness creeps into the hearts of Irish souls (what Demon Deacons were created to do).”

BONUS PICKS

Michigan State @ Michigan - Michigan State
St. Joe’s @ Dayton - Dayton
Rhode Island @ UMass - Rhode Island
Illinois @ Northwestern - Illinois