Notre Dame may not have made the NCAA Tournament, but its season is still alive. The Fighting Irish host Hampton in the opening round of the NIT on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. The Irish are favored by 22 points in South Bend. The over-under, or total points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 153.

Viewing Information

Location: South Bend, Ind.
Date: Tuesday, March 13
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN3.com

About No. 1 Notre Dame

The Irish (20-14) are tied for 10th in the ACC at 8-10 and were only 5-10 against NCAA Tournament opponents. Irish leading scorer Bonzie Colson missed nearly two months of action before returning for the final six games. Not counting a blowout victory over Pittsburgh in which he played limited minutes, Colson is averaging 19 points since his return. The 6-6 swingman will present a major challenge for Hampton, as will 6-foot-1 senior Martinas Geben.

About No. 8 Hampton

Hampton, from the MEAC, went 16-15 against Division I opponents, its SOS ranking 330th out of 351 teams. The Pirates played two marquee teams in non-conference play, and it just happened to be a pair of eventual NCAA No. 1 seeds in Xavier and Virginia. The Pirates were plundered 96-60 by the Musketeers and 82-48 by the Cavaliers.

Odds, picks against the spread

Oddsmakers opened this game at Notre Dame -22. The line has dropped one point since then, reflecting that bettors are leaning toward the underdog Pirates. While motivation can fluctuate from team to team in the NIT, three of Notre Dame's top four scorers are seniors, giving them additional motivation to go out strong. Few may believe Hampton will win, but can it stay within 22 points of Notre Dame? The Irish are just 4-7 against the spread at home.

So which side of Notre Dame-Hampton do you need to be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see the strong point-spread pick from Vegas legend Micah Roberts, who set the lines for Vegas' biggest sports books and is on a 16-8 ATS run.