Postseason positioning will be on the line Monday when Miami (Fla.) visits Notre Dame for a nationally televised 7 p.m. ET tip. Notre Dame is favored by 4.5, up a half-point from the opening line. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 140.5, unchanged from the open.
Before you lock in your picks, you need to see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.
Last season, the model was an impressive 755-636-20 on its A-rated picks, returning $6,529 to any $100 player who followed it.
That wasn't a fluke, either. With the NCAA Tournament just around the corner, the model is heating up this season as well, coming into the week on a 12-6 run on its college basketball picks. Anybody who has been following those selections is way, way up.
Now the model has simulated Miami vs. Notre Dame 10,000 times and locked in against-the-spread, over-under and money-line picks.
We can tell you that it's calling for a low-scoring total of 130 points that will clear the under by more than 10. It also has an extremely strong pick for one side of this spread, saying you can bank on it over 60 percent of time. You can get that pick only over at SportsLine.
The model has taken into account Notre Dame's recent run of three wins in four games. The Fighting Irish were largely forgotten about after a seven-game losing streak that dropped them near the bottom of the ACC, but the recent success has given hope of a late-season surge.
Senior guard Matt Farrell (17.1 points per game) has been one of the catalysts for the Irish. He went off for 37 points and seven assists in a victory over Boston College on Saturday and if he plays that well, the Irish could be tough to beat down the stretch.
But just because Notre Dame has played better recently doesn't mean the Irish will be able to produce a big win over Miami.
The Hurricanes, despite three losses in a row, still have a much better overall résumé with an 18-8 record and a 7-7 mark in ACC play. Their offense has been stagnant recently, but a top-40 scoring defense that gives up just 66.1 points can keep them in virtually any contest.
And while the Irish remain a long shot to make the NCAA Tournament, Miami is still very much under consideration for an at-large spot. The Hurricanes must turn it around quickly, however, and they should have an urgency in their play Monday.
So which side of Miami-Notre Dame do you need to be all over? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Miami-Notre Dame spread is cashing over 60 percent of the time, all from the model that has crushed college hoops, and find out.
