Vegas Play of the Day: Notre Dame at North Carolina

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Monday, Jan. 5, 2015 | 11:30 a.m.

Here’s the latest installment of the Play of the Day, which uses odds from the South Point. Our three sports writers started with a $10,000 bankroll — fictional, of course.

North Carolina minus-8.5 vs. North Carolina: $550 to win $500 : North Carolina has covered the betting number in its past five games, including a 24-point win over the weekend at Clemson to start ACC play. It ranks second nationally in rebounds per game, fourth in assists and 16th in points.

That’s part of the reason why the host Tar Heels are such a significant betting favorite against No. 13 Notre Dame.

Notre Dame has a 14-1 record, but that record comes against poor competition. Notre Dame has played the 291st most difficult schedule out of 351 Division I teams and needed double overtime over the weekend to beat Georgia Tech at home.

Sure, the Irish are third nationally in scoring at 86 points per game, but again, consider the competition. They’ve beaten the likes of Navy and Coppin State, meaning tonight’s significant upgrade in competition will be one Notre Dame should be overwhelmed by.

Standings: Bern (61-52-1, $11,526), Keefer (58-60-2, $9,527), Brewer (54-60-3, $5,705)

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21