College Basketball Picks: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

The Cincinnati Bearcats (13-2) will look to bounce back from their second loss of the 2012-13 NCAA basketball season, as they host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-1) Monday night at Fifth Third Arena, with the opening tip scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Sports bettors will find that the Bearcats are 3.5-point home favorites in the college basketball betting odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total is holding steady at 134.5 in the market.

Let's take a closer look at this Big East Conference showdown from a betting perspective, while offering an against-the-spread (ATS) pick along the way.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have won 11 games in a row, including a 93-74 victory over the Seton Hall Pirates as 10-point home favorites in their Big East Conference opener on Saturday.

Sports bettors will find that the Fighting Irish are 0-4 ATS as road underdogs of 3.5 to 6 points over the last two-plus seasons.

Cincinnati Bearcats

The Cincinnati Bearcats haven't lost three consecutive home games since 2007, as they look to bounce back from a 53-52 defeat to the St. John's Red Storm as 13.5-point favorites on Saturday.

Sports bettors may be turned off in backing the Bearcats due to their 1-5 ATS mark as home favorites of 3.5 to 6 points, but they've won nine of their last 12 games versus ranked opponents. 

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers back the Cincinnati Bearcats as one of their college basketball picks, as I believe they'll win this game on the defensive end. They rank eighth nationally in field-goal percentage defense.

College Basketball Pick: Cincinnati Bearcats -3.5

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