Princeton and Notre Dame Kick off March Madness at 12:15 Today

Dirty March 16, 2017

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Irish Looking for 3rd Straight Elite Eight

The Princeton Tigers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish open the Round of 64 when March Madness kicks off on Thursday when they meet at Keybank Center. Most people don’t cosider the “First Four” games as part of the real tournament. They are just fodder to appease schools that were possibly left out of the NCAA Tournament.

Notre Dame has made its mark in March Madness as the only team to reach the Elite Eight round of the past two NCAA Tournaments. To be considered with the elite the Fighting Irish know they need to carry that success into a Final Four appearance.

Oddsmakers opened the Fighting Irish as -7-point favorites versus the Tigers, while the game’s total opened at 132.5. The line is now Notre Dame as a 6.5-point favorite while the total has climbed to 135.

Notre Dame was a 75-69 loser in its last matchup in the ACC Championhip game against the Duke Blue Devils. They failed to cover the +4.5-point spread as underdogs. Bonzie Colson is Notre Dame’s leading scorer at 17.5 ppg. He also is their leading rebounder at 10.2 rpg. The 6-foot-5 junior has 19 double-doubles this season. Senior forward VJ Beachem is scoring 15 points per game. Junior point guard Matt Farrell averages 14.2 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Princeton was a 71-59 winner in its last match at home against Yale Bulldogs in the Ivy League Tournament. They covered the -7-point spread as favorites. Princeton enters the NCAA Tournament on a hot streak. They have not lost since December. The Tigers’ 19-game winning streak includes a 16-0 record against Ivy League schools. This includes two wins in the league’s first championship tournament.