2010 NCAA Tournament Odds: Notre Dame 75-1

By the end of January the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were hoping at best for a NIT bid as it appeared as if they were not going to be needing their dance shoes for the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The Irish were in the bottom half of the Big East Conference standings and standout senior forward Luke Harangody, their leading scorer, went down with an injury. But instead of hanging their heads and quitting the Irish sucked it up, rallied as a team and went on to go 6-1 straight up and 7-0 against the spread in college basketball odds down the stretch all the way to the semi finals of the Big East Conference tournament where they lost to eventual champion West Virginia 51-53.

It was all good enough for a bid to the Big Dance and has offered Notre Dame new found respect at sportsbooks. While NCAA tournament odds have the Irish at 75-1, Notre Dame will be riding their late run and newfound momentum which will make them a threat against anyone that they face on the floor. Notre Dame has quality wins this year against Pittsburgh, Marquette, Georgetown and West Virginia. Harangody has returned to action but now in a reserve and limited role off the bench but with a great attitude that is emblematic of the Irish's season overall.

Notre Dame is a dangerous offensive team that ranked in the upper ten percent of the country for scoring at 76 points per game while their defense was in the middle of the pack. The Irish are an excellent 3-point shooting team and that will keep them in games and should help them cover many spreads in 2010 NCAA tournament odds. Notre Dame had an overall record of 23-11 straight up and 17-10-1 against the spread this season. The Irish lost only 3 out of 9 games against the spread on the road. Sports handicappers are quick to note that Notre Dame was a dangerous 9-3 against the spread as an underdog.

The Irish will face the Old Dominion Monarchs in their first round match-up on Friday, March 18th at 12:25pm EST in a game that can be seen on CBS with Notre Dame 2.5 point favorites. Notre Dame is 5-0 against the spread in their last 5 games and 6-1 straight up in their last 7 games. The betting total has gone UNDER in 5 of Notre Dame's last 5 games and the Irish are 5-5 when playing on Thursday's. Vegas odds have the Fighting Irish 75-1 in 2010 March madness betting.