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Louisville basketball looking to build momentum vs. Notre Dame

By Jacob Lane

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 13: Ryan McMahon #30 of the Louisville Cardinals dribbles the ball against Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during their game in the second round of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 13, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 13: Ryan McMahon #30 of the Louisville Cardinals dribbles the ball against Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during their game in the second round of the 2019 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 13, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – JANUARY 07: Darius Perry #2 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball during the game against the Miami Hurricanes at KFC YUM! Center on January 07, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – JANUARY 07: Darius Perry #2 of the Louisville Cardinals shoots the ball during the game against the Miami Hurricanes at KFC YUM! Center on January 07, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Louisville

There aren’t many chances in the ACC this season to get a signature win, believe it or not, so getting the chance to pick up what the committee will refer to as a “Quadrant 2” victory is huge. However, that’s not the storyline.

The big thing to watch for Louisville is how they respond to the way the Miami game ended. We saw the Cards jump out to a big lead against the Hurricanes behind the hot shooting of Jordan Nwora. But as the game got further out of hand, Louisville began to back off and it allowed for the Hurricanes to get within single-digits on multiple occasions.

Notre Dame has a serious threat in John Mooney and a ton of experience and talented guards in Rex Pflueger, TJ Gibbs, Dane Goodwin, and Prentiss Hubb. Louisville has struggled to contain teams who have the ability to win off the dribble as well as knockdown three’s from deep (i.e. Florida State/Kentucky) and if they aren’t able to contain penetration it could be a long day.

Louisville will have the advantage in athleticism, length, size, and overall talent but if there’s one thing we know about Mike Brey’s teams it’s that they make you earn everything. If Louisville doesn’t come to play “between their ears” this could be a game that slips away and changes the course of the season.

Notre Dame

For Notre Dame the storyline is simple – they need a signature win and they need it quick. The Fighting Irish are the definition of a “bubble team” at this point in the season and considering how weak the ACC is and their resume thus far, they desperately need this win over a top 15 team.

Mike Brey and the Irish currently sit at 10-5 with a 1-3 record in the ACC and no signature wins. At this point, their power five victories consist of UCLA and Syracuse, two programs having down years. While they hold losses to NC State, Indiana, Boston College, Maryland, and UNC.

If the season ended today the Irish would be headed to the NIT with a team that has the potential and talent to be a factor in the ACC and the NCAA tournament.

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