Blackrock Gotham Classic
Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
Tip-off: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Line: Ohio State -7

Notre Dame will look to earn its second consecutive win against a Big Ten foe when it challenges No. 3 Ohio State in the Blackrock Gotham Classic in New York City on Saturday night.

In their most recent game last Saturday, the Fighting Irish beat Indiana in their first neutral-site game this season, though they are only 3-5-1 ATS overall. They also covered in their only game against a ranked opponent, a 98-93 loss to then-No. 23 Iowa, which was their only road game of the season. Those two games give them a 2-0 ATS record as underdogs this year. The Buckeyes are a perfect 11-0 SU, but are 5-5 ATS and haven’t played the most challenging schedule, with just one marquee win over then-No. 17 Marquette, which has since dropped out of the rankings. Both of these teams are fairly efficient on the offensive end, with both hitting 48% of their field goals, but the Fighting Irish rank fourth in the nation in assists (18.8 APG), while Ohio State ranks 187th with just 12.8 APG. But the Buckeyes have the nation's third-best scoring defense, limiting opponents to 55.5 PPG on 37.3% shooting (10th-best in Division-I). These teams haven’t met since 2008, when Ohio State beat then-No. 7 Notre Dame 67-62 on a neutral court in Indianapolis.

Can Ohio State remain unbeaten on Saturday night? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the StatFox Experts selections every week throughout the entire 2013-14 season. The StatFox Experts have been rolling in college basketball Best Bets this season with a 61% ATS (96-61-5) mark, including an eye-popping 70% ATS (61-26) record since Nov. 26. StatFox Zach is leading the way at 68% ATS (21-10-1) on Best Bets this season, while StatFox Gary is 63% ATS (20-12-2), StatFox Scott is 61% ATS (19-12), StatFox Brian is 61% ATS (19-12-1) and StatFox Dave is 53% ATS (17-15-1).

Senior PG Jerian Grant (19.1 PPG, 6.4 APG) leads Notre Dame in passing and scoring and has also taken tremendous care of the ball this season, turning it over only 1.5 times per game. He’s hitting 51% FG (up from 41% last season), and 40% of his threes, also up markedly from 34% a season ago. He has scored at least 23 points in three of the past four games, though the one exception was when North Dakota State limited him to nine points on 0-for-5 FG when the Bison upset the Fighting Irish. A menace on the defensive end as well, Grant averages 2.1 SPG. SG Eric Atkins (11.9 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.5 RPG) is his primary backcourt mate, but he is averaging only 6.0 PPG on 32% FG over the team’s past four games. C Garrick Sherman (14.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG) paces the team down low with eight straight double-figure scoring games and 10+ rebounds in two of his past three contests (9.7 RPG). Junior F/G Pat Connaughton (13.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG) is more of a wing player than a true forward, but is still second on the team in rebounding. Despite his rebounding prowess, he stands at only 6-foot-5 and is hitting 2.8 threes per game on an impressive 46% clip.

PG Aaron Craft (10.0 PPG, 4.8 APG) leads the Buckeyes’ stout defense and is one of the nation’s top perimeter defenders with 2.5 SPG. PG Shannon Scott (7.8 PPG, 3.7 APG, 4.3 RPG) is a similarly defensive minded guard, averaging 2.3 SPG. SG Lenzelle Smith Jr. (13.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG) provides the offense, hitting 47% of his three-pointers this season, and he’s averaging 15.7 PPG over a seven-game streak of at least 10 points. PF LaQuinton Ross (12.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG) is also a handful to guard, with the ability to score down low and knock down three-pointers (18-of-43, 42%). Six-foot-11 C Amir Williams (10.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG) is the team’s top rebounder and is also a mean post defender, swatting 2.2 shots per game down low. Though he’s not much of a scorer, he’s also quite efficient, making 67% FG this year. Williams has not recorded a block in two straight games, however, and will have his hands full with Sherman.