I'm not anticipating a sharp Notre Dame performance. The Irish are fat and happy as they head into Christmas break having just destroyed Purdue, 94-63, this past Saturday at the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis. That may have been the Irish's best game.

I can't see Notre Dame getting excited about this matchup taking on a middle-of-the-road MAC team with crowd support way down due to the holiday season as many of its students are not from the area.

Northern Illinois is an effort team that ranks ninth in the country in offensive rebounding. The Huskies do turn the ball over frequently, but that problem shouldn't be magnified because Notre Dame isn't a big pressing team. They are 8-2-1 ATS the past 11 times when playing an opponent with a winning record.