Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame Prediction: Demon Deacons Face Must-Win Road Game

For bubble teams like the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, time is running out to improve their resume for the NCAA Tournament. The next opportunity for Wake Forest to build its resume comes on Tuesday night when the Demon Deacons face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in an ACC clash.

To be fair, this is more of a can’t-lose game for Wake than a must-win game. Either way, the Demon Deacons will be expected to win in South Bend. With Wake Forest favored by 6.5 points on the road, oddsmakers appear to agree with that sentiment.

Let’s take a deep dive into Tuesday’s game between the Demon Deacons and the Irish.

Wake Forest vs Notre Dame Betting Odds for Tuesday, February 27

The Demon Deacons have opened as 6.5-point road favorites against Notre Dame. That isn’t surprising with Wake among the top four teams in the ACC standings and Notre Dame third from the bottom.

However, Wake Forest hasn’t been a particularly good road team this season. That is something to consider as we take a closer look at the odds for this matchup.

Odds are via FanDuel Sportsbook. Learn more about FanDuel betting in North Carolina before it goes live on March 11. Also, don’t forget you can receive $150 in bonus bets after signing up and making a $5 wager on FanDuel.

Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame Preview

Wake Forest has done wonders for its NCAA Tournament resume with back-to-back wins over Pitt and Duke over the past week. But the Demon Deacons still have a lot of work to do in order to solidify a spot in the Big Dance. They also have a small margin of error when it comes to locking down a top-four spot in the ACC standings and a double-bye in the conference tournament.

The one thing the Demon Deacons are lacking this year is quality wins on the road. Wake is just 2-7 straight-up and 3-6 against the spread on the road this season. Those two wins have come against Boston College and Georgia Tech, which won’t impress the selection committee much. Granted, a win over Notre Dame won’t move the needle much either. But a loss to the Fighting Irish would be detrimental to Wake’s tournament hopes.

The Demon Deacons have the challenge of not just trying to win on the road but avoiding a letdown after Saturday’s emotional win over Duke. Wake got big performances from its marquee players in that game. Four different players scored in double figures, including 29 points from Hunter Sallis. However, Wake’s bench contributed just three points, which means the team’s star power needs to keep performing at a high level.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame is hoping to finish the season strong despite no hope of postseason play. The Fighting Irish recently put together a three-game winning streak before losing on Saturday at Syracuse. The silver lining is that Notre Dame trailed by 20 points at halftime but fought back and only lost by three points.

That’s a good sign that the Fighting Irish will keep playing hard without much on the line. Keep in mind that the team's young talent is starting to blossom. Freshman point guard Markus Burton poured in 28 points and eight assists against Syracuse while fellow freshman Braeden Shrewsberry is 13 for 20 from three-point range over his last two games. Those players are coming on strong and making Notre Dame a little better than the team’s record indicates.

As mentioned, the Irish have won three of their last four games. They are also 3-1 against the spread during that stretch and 4-3 against the spread as home underdogs during ACC play. The Fighting Irish is also one of the best defensive teams in the ACC. Only half of Notre Dame’s conference opponents have scored over 65 points with Syracuse becoming just the third ACC opponent to go over 70 points against the Irish this season.

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Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame Prediction and Betting Pick

There is little doubt that Wake Forest is the more talented team in this matchup. The Demon Deacons have a deeper group of scorers and a more experienced team. Nevertheless, Wake’s problems on the road are worrisome, even if the Deacons have every reason to be motivated coming into this game.

Notre Dame has nothing to play for in this game but also nothing to lose. The Fighting Irish has also played some of its best basketball lately. With a letdown for Wake Forest possible after the win over Duke, look for Notre Dame to have a strong start to this game. That should be enough to keep the Irish close throughout the second half and beat the 6.5-point spread, even if the Demon Deacons are able to pull out a close win.

• Wake Forest vs Notre Dame Pick: Notre Dame +6.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook

How to Watch Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame

• When: Tuesday, February 27 at 9:00 PM EST

• Where: Purcell Pavilion, South Bend, Indiana

• TV: ACC Network

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