The Louisville Cardinals traveled to South Bend on Wednesday night to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. With the win, the Cardinals now have a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament in March.
Fightin’ The Irish
The Cardinals walked into South Bend and put on a clinic to take down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to maintain control of 2nd place in the ACC with an 8-2 record. The Cards started slow in the first half but once they took the lead 20-18 with 8:12 seconds left in the first half they would never look back.
An unusual slow start only landed the Cardinals with a four-point lead heading into halftime. A really even performance throughout. Seven Cards scored in the first half. Reyne Smith lead the way with nine points from three threes. James Scott attributed seven rebounds and four points in the first half.
In the second half a different team came to life. Going on a 21-9 run that started at 12:11 left in the second half and lasted until 5:31 left. The Cards would roll and go on to win the game 75-60. With the win, Louisville now secures at least a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament which is little under a month away. The Cards still have an opportunity to secure a second-round bye which goes to the top-four teams in the ACC.
Notables
All five starters for the Cardinals scored into double-figures on Wednesday night, Louisville also has another double-double recorded in a game this year.
- Chucky Hepburn: 16 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 7-for-10 from the field (1-4 from three)
- Terrence Edwards Jr.: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4-for-10 from the field (2-7 from three)
- James Scott: 10 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 3-for-5 from the field
- J’Vonne Hadley: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2ssists, 4-for-11 from the field (4-for-11 from three)
- Reyne Smith: 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 4-for-11 from the field (4-for-11 from three)
A pretty complete game from our starters, even the bench contributed as bit as well.
What’s Next
Louisville will take on the Florida State Seminoles for the second time for the season, this time at the Yum! Center. The Cardinals beat the Seminoles 90-76 for their last meeting, this game would ultimately start a 10-game winning streak for the Cards in the ACC.
The Cards will represent the 25 number next to their name on Saturday after being ranked back into the Top 25 by the AP voters. We get a noon tipoff on Saturday, Louisville will look to make it five in a row.
