The Notre Dame Fighting Irish already secured their "signature win" of the season when they knocked off the No. 1 ranked Syracuse Orange at home last Saturday, but they can continue to build on their rather impressive NCAA Tournament resumé with a road victory over the No. 19 ranked Connecticut Huskies on Sunday. It certainly won't be easy, but the task was made harder when UConn freshman guard Ryan Boatright— a Chicago native— was cleared to return to action after being forced to sit out due to an ongoing NCAA investigation.
Boatright is no star, at least not yet, but he's shown in limited action this season the ability to score efficiently, and his presence will test an Irish team that likes to keep games low-scoring. That said, the Irish certainly won't be intimidated by having to go on the road, as they've been tested already in conference play. One of those road games, against the Louisville Cardinal, represents one of the Irish's most notable victories of the season, but they've also fallen on the road to lesser opponents like the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Game date/time: Sunday, January 29, 2012, 11:00 a.m. CT
Location: XL Center, Hartford, Conn.
TV: Big East Network/ESPN3
Radio: WLS 890 AM
Odds: UConn favored by 9
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