Louisville basketball is set to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish inside the KFC Yum! Center this evening as the Cardinals look to secure their second straight win. The Cardinals have just 10 games left in the season, and with Louisville sitting 15-6 overall and 5-4 in conference play, Pat Kelsey and his Cards have to start rattling off some wins.
Tonight marks a golden opportunity for Louisville to earn a dominant win over a Fighting Irish team that has lost seven conference games, including six of its last seven. Notre Dame has lost by an average of 11.5 points per game in their ACC slate so far, and with Louisville hoping to go on a run in the final month, today looks like an opportunity for the Cardinals to gain some confidence.
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This Louisville basketball guard is poised for a massive performance tonight
One key player Louisville fans should keep an eye on for a big-time showing is the Cardinals' sharp shooter, Isaac McKneely. The 4-star transfer from Virginia has had a hard time adjusting to the Cardinals and the small forward position.
McKneely is averaging 11.6 points and 1.2 assists, while shooting 41.2 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from beyond the arc. At first glance, those numbers are quite impressive, but when looking at his career stats, fans quickly realize he is shooting at his lowest rate from beyond the arc and is currently having his second-worst shooting season from the field.
McKneely hasn’t had the season he or the fans were hoping for so far as we enter February, but tonight is a golden opportunity for the sharpshooter, as Notre Dame has had its fair share of struggles against ranked teams and guards.
Notre Dame has already played Clemson, North Carolina, and Virginia, and in those games, many guards stepped up and had big-time performances against the Irish. In the Tigers' showdown with the Irish, Jestin Porter went on to have his season high so far, as he scored 26 points on 60-percent shooting from the field and 34-percent shooting from downtown.
Then, in the Cavaliers' matchup with Notre Dame, Sam Lewis scored 21 points on 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-8 from downtown, tying for the most 3-pointers he made all season and second most points for the guard this season. Coming off the bench for the Cavaliers was Chance Mallory, who added 17 points on 5-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-6 from downtown, marking a career high in points and tying his most made 3-pointers.
And lastly in the Tar Heels and Irish game, Derek Dixon and Kyan Evans each went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, as Dixon finished with 11 points and Evans finished with nine points. So, the gamelogs suggest this game is McKneely’s big break, where he should have a breakout game, and hopefully it helps Louisville not only turn the tide and win tonight, but also go on a run the rest of the season.
Louisville needs McKneely to shoot lights out if this team is going to make a run to Indianapolis, and tonight appears to be a game the sharpshooter is poised to break out in.