Texas A&M Aggies (2) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2)
Odds: Notre Dame -2.5 (130.5 o/u)
Prediction: Texas A&M 59-54
I think this will be more of a low-scoring affair than Vegas seems to. We all saw what happened to the men’s counterparts on the big stage, and I imagine one of these teams will probably start out pretty cold as well. It’s been documented that Geno Auriemma thinks that the A&M press won’t be able to stop Notre Dame’s quick guards, but I bet it’s at least somewhat effective, if not quite as great as it was against some of the other teams in this field.
Per a stripped down simulation of the two clubs run at Swish Appeal, the Aggies have the better PPG margin of the two clubs, and though Notre Dame won more games, they also went 4-0 in the one-point games, which leads me to believe that the Aggies are just a notch better.
It kills me to have to pick against Skylar Diggins, because who doesn’t want to pull for a name like that? But I’m going with the statistical favorite here even if Vegas doesn’t believe in them. Yes, it's basically on Irish homecourt, but take the bruising A&M style of basketball, with Danielle Adams, over the speedy Notre Dame guards with confidence.
For more, please check out Swish Appeal for your women’s basketball needs and I Am The 12th Man for further coverage of the Aggies..