Princeton Tigers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Odds, March Madness Betting Pick

The 12th-seeded Princeton Tigers (23-6) will attempt to run their winning streak to 20 games in Buffalo on Thursday when they meet the fifth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish (25-9) as solid underdogs in their NCAA tournament opener.

The Tigers won the first-ever four-team Ivy League tournament after going a perfect 14-0 in conference play during the regular season, last losing to the Monmouth Hawks 96-90 as four-point road underdogs back on December 20.

Point spread: The Fighting Irish opened as seven-point favorites; the total is at 132.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

March Madness betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 70.6-61.4 Tigers (College basketball picks on every game) (Download the NCAA tournament bracket)

Why Princeton can cover the spread

The Tigers are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games, and they have also gone 8-0 straight up in their last eight games versus teams with winning records.

The Ivy League competition obviously is nowhere near the same as the ACC, but this Princeton team has a lot of confidence with the knowledge that the 12th-seeded Yale Bulldogs stunned the fifth-seeded Baylor Bears 79-75 as 5.5-point underdogs in the Big Dance just a year ago. The Tigers went 3-0 both SU and ATS against the Bulldogs this season.

Why Notre Dame can cover the spread

While Princeton has won 19 in a row heading into this matchup, Notre Dame has won nine straight against Ivy League opponents, according to the OddsShark College Basketball Database.

The Fighting Irish are coming off an outstanding performance in the ACC tournament, making it to the championship game for the second time in three years before falling to the Duke Blue Devils 75-69 as 4.5-point dogs. Before that, Notre Dame won eight of nine, going 7-2 against the spread.

Smart betting pick

It goes without saying that Notre Dame has the better athletes in this NCAA tournament game, although that does not guarantee a win or a cover. Princeton is a dangerous foe but does not play the slow, methodical offense the school was best known for under former head coach Pete Carril more than 20 years ago.

The Tigers can score, and they will probably be tempted to run here, which will be a big mistake. The Fighting Irish have too much talent and better coaching with Mike Brey to fall victim to this Cinderella. Bet on Notre Dame to coast to an easy victory and cover the spread.

March Madness betting trends

The total has gone under in six of Notre Dame's last seven games.

Notre Dame is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games against teams with winning records.

Princeton is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 games as an underdog of seven points or more.

All college basketball lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.