A clash of ranked ACC teams serves as the appetizer for a top-10 clash featuring D1 college basketball’s lone undefeated team on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. For bettors, the schedule translates to several opportunities.
Bettors will have to make several decisions to maximize those opportunities, including whether LSU and Syracuse have what it takes to slow down their opponents with top-10 offenses. Spread bets on both games will depend on those factors.
Syracuse at Notre Dame details, handicapping
The No. 22 Syracuse Orange will try to maintain its spot atop the ACC standings when it visits the No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday. The game will feature two teams who have been among the national leaders in shot attempts.
- Tip-off: 7 p.m. ET, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024
- Venue: Purcell Pavilion, South Bend, Indiana
- Broadcast: ESPN
- Previous matchup: Dec. 31, 2023 at Syracuse, 86-81 Orange win
- Last 5 games: Notre Dame LWWWW, Syracuse WWWWW
- Average points for: Notre Dame 84.4, Syracuse 78.4
- Average points against: Notre Dame 60, Syracuse 63.5
- Notre Dame record: 14-3 overall, 7-1 at home, 5-2 ACC
- Syracuse record: 16-2 overall, 3-2 on the road, 6-1 ACC
Notre Dame has dominated this series overall, winning 38 of 42 games. That includes all 19 meetings in South Bend and seven of the last 10 regardless of venue. Syracuse has also never swept a season series against the Irish.
In the first meeting of these two teams, the Orange were able to cover thanks to a significant advantage on the glass and hefty scoring contributions from a pair of players, Dyaisha Fair and Alyssa Latham. Fair and Latham combined to score 58 of Syracuse’s 86 points in that contest.
The Orange are 16th in the nation in total rebounds per game, so that’s something the Irish will have to effect to change the result. In order to cover in this one, Notre Dame should lean on its ability to create turnovers and work to find good shots. The Irish are 10th in the nation in steals per game and fourth in 2-point field goal conversions per game.
The over is in play in this game thanks to the volume of shot attempts that both teams average. Syracuse is 16th in the country in that regard on a per game basis while Notre Dame is 28th in the same regard.
South Carolina at LSU details, handicapping
This game is happening in the last full week of January but it still has hefty implications. When the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks visit the No. 9 LSU Tigers on Thursday, their contest could decide which team goes into this year’s SEC tournament as the top overall seed.
- Tip-off: 8 p.m. ET, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024
- Venue: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Broadcast: ESPN
- Previous matchup: Feb. 12, 2023, at South Carolina, 88-64 Gamecocks win
- Last 5 games: LSU WWLWW, South Carolina WWWWW
- Average points for: LSU 91.7, South Carolina 90.8
- Average points against: LSU 61.5, South Carolina 52.1
- LSU record: 18-2 overall, 12-0 at home, 5-1 SEC
- South Carolina record: 17-0 overall, 7-0 on the road, 5-0 SEC
LSU holds a respectable lead in this series, claiming 26 of 37 games overall. However, that’s been a tale of two eras. South Carolina has won the past 14 consecutive contests in the series, including six in a row in Baton Rouge.
To break that streak and cover in this one, the Tigers will have to do what no opponent has so far this season been able to accomplish; solve the Gamecock defense. South Carolina averages giving up fewer points per game than all but four teams in the country.
At the same time, if anyone is equipped to do it, LSU might be it. The Tigers lead the nation in scoring average along with free throws attempted and converted per game. Getting to the line early and often will be pivotal for LSU as it will not only give them a chance to score without facing South Carolina’s pressure but also limit the Gamecocks’ rotation.
As far as the total goes in this game, that might be a live betting candidate. The over or the under could be in play determining on which team is able to impose its will on the other.
