The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Both teams have suffered ugly losses, with Rutgers losing on the road to Kennesaw State as a 14-point favorite and Notre Dame being stunned at home against Elon as a 15-point favorite. Both teams will be looking to keep the balance here and a particular side may benefit from this.

While each of these teams is dealing with their own issues, the Scarlet Knights appear to be having a tougher start to the season. The Steve Pikiell-led defense has suffered a bit of a setback so far this year, and that’s a big problem for a program that typically focuses on that side of the ball. Rutgers has finished in the top 10 in KenPom defensive ratings the last two seasons, but they are currently ranked 72nd this season. The offensive line appears to have improved with the additional talent, led by two 5-star freshmen in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. While there is optimism for Pikiell’s squad on that side of the court, they haven’t quite got things figured out yet and the Scarlet Knights are extremely reliant on their transition game (93rd percentile in transition frequency, according to Synergy). It won’t be easy for them to rush this game, as the Fighting Irish only allow transition in the 2nd percentile in the nation.

Notre Dame has the continuity edge in this contest and I’m willing to give them a pass for their loss to Elon. Because of their slow pace (293rd in pace, according to KenPom), the Irish will keep weaker teams in games, but it also allows them to compete with almost anyone in the country. Their ability to operate in the halfcourt and the fact that coach Micah Shrewsberry has a great track record as an outside hitter throughout his career puts me on the point-scoring side of Notre Dame.

Rutgers vs Notre Dame Prediction: Notre Dame +2 (-110) available at time of publication. Playable to choose from

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