The Louisville men’s basketball team dropped another conference game on Saturday with an 82-70 loss to Notre Dame at the KFC Yum! Center. Louisville falls to 11-8 overall and 5-4 in the ACC. Notre Dame improves to 12-6 and 5-2.
Jarrod West led all Cardinal scorers with 14 points. Malik Williams was also in double figures with 11 points and 6 rebounds. Jae’Lyn Withers added 9 points and 9 boards.
For Notre Dame, Blake Wesley led the way with 22 points. Paul Atkinson Jr. and Dane Goodwin both added 13 points. Prentiss Hubb had 12 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds for the Irish.
Louisville raced out to a 7-0 lead within the first two minutes of the first half before Notre Dame responded with a 13-0 run of its own, heading into the under-16 timeout with a 13-10 lead. The high scoring kept up on both ends, with the score staying close at 29-28 Louisville with 8:01 left in the half.
The Cards used a 10-0 run to take its biggest lead of the half and go up 40-31 into the under-4 timeout. Louisville headed into the break with a 45-38 advantage, thanks in large part to 9-13 shooting from three-point range.
Notre Dame came out of the half firing, taking a 48-47 lead before the under-16 timeout. Things remained close from there with neither team gaining separation in the following two segments.
It was tied at 62 with 8:39 on the clock when the Irish went on a quick 8-2 run to take a 6-point lead into the under-8 timeout. Louisville never regained its lead as Notre Dame pulled away in the final minutes to earn a convincing double-digit win.
The 45-point first half performance from Louisville was a fun as any 20-minute stretch we have seen from the team this entire season. The reliance on the three-point line was not sustainable though as the Cards’ familiar offensive struggles reappeared in the second half.
It would have taken an extraordinary offensive effort to keep up with Notre Dame on Saturday, and that is not something Louisville has proven to be capable of this season. After the double-digit win over Boston College on Wednesday, we are right back where we were with this team. Louisville is having a hard time stringing together wins in a bad ACC.
Notre Dame has been a better team than Louisville all season, but this was a game that was right there to win and the home team could not do it on Saturday. Losing by 12 points when you held a 7-point halftime lead is as deflating as it gets. Add it to the list of disappointing losses this team has taken in 2022.
Up Next:
Louisville heads on the road for a Monday night matchup with UVA in Charlottesville at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Press Conference:
🎥: Coach Mack following today's game vs Notre Dame https://t.co/2XY87F14nT
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) January 22, 2022
