Notre Dame Basketball Preview and Game Thread: Irish VS North Carolina Tar Heels

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are a terrible basketball team right now, and there’s no other kinder way to put it without being dishonest. ND has struggled all season inside the paint on both ends of the court, which has resulted in wins that were harder than they should have been — and losses that keep piling up.

The Irish are 0-4 in ACC play to start the season, and with ND on the road against the North Carolina Tar Heels today, there’s no reason to believe that the first conference win will come today.

ODDS

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Irish are 13 point underdogs to UNC with an OVER/UNDER of 145.

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

Head Coach: Hubert Davis (2nd season)
Season Record: 10-5 (2-2 ACC)
Key Players: F Armando Bacot (18.6 ppg & 11.1 rpg), G Caleb Love (16.8 ppg), G R.J. Davis (16.7 ppg)
Quick Overview: Despite having a stud in Armando Bacot, North Carolina has struggled this year to win basketball games. The Tar Heels went on a four game losing streak in December, but two of those losses came at the hands of #18 Alabama and #10 Indiana.

WHEN, WHERE, AND HOW TO WATCH

When: Saturday, January 7 @ 11:30 AM EST
Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
How to Watch: ESPN2

GAME THREAD

The game thread is open below. I know many of us are on Twitter for most of the game, but I encourage you to vent and do other things that require more than 280 characters here.