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Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Cardinals are staying on the road, and will attempt to snap a nine-game losing streak and capture their first win in ACC play against the Fighting Irish.

Louisville Cardinals (2-18, 0-9 ACC) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-12, 1-9 ACC)

- Tipoff: Saturday, January 28 at 12:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind.
- How To Watch: ESPN2
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Notre Dame: -10.0 (KenPom)
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 26-17
- Last Meeting: Notre Dame won 63-57 on Feb. 9, 2022 (Purcell Pavilion - South Bend, Ind.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

  • G El Ellis (6-3, 180, Sr.)
  • G/F Mike James (6-5, 215, R-Fr.)
  • F Jae'Lyn Withers (6-9, 220, R-Jr.)
  • F J.J. Traynor (6-8, 190, Jr.)
  • F Sydney Curry (6-8, 270, Sr.)

Notre Dame

  • G J.J. Starling (6-4, 200, Fr.)
  • G Marcus Hammond (6-4, 188, Gr.)
  • G Cormac Ryan (6-5, 195, Gr.)
  • G Dane Goodwin (6-6, 214, Gr.)
  • F Nate Laszewski (6-10, 230, Gr.)

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Fighting Irish, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of The Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Notre Dame

Game Notes

Louisville

  • On Jan. 19, Louisville added freshman forward/center Emmanuel Okorafor to the roster. Okorafor is a 6-foot-9 native of Lagos, Nigeria, and is eligible immediately after arriving from NBA Academy Africa.
  • Over the last six games since turning the calendar to 2023, redshirt freshman guard/forward Mike James is averaging 14.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field and 48% from the 3-point line. In the first 14 games of the season, James averaged just 6.9 points while shooting 44% overall and 31% from 3-point range.
  • Over the last 11 games, senior guard El Ellis has averaged 19.5 points, 5.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals. As of Friday, Ellis was one of 22 players in the nation with at least 350 points and 90 assists this season. After having a positive or even assist-to-turnover ratio just three times in the first nine games of the season, Ellis has been positive or even in nine of the last 11 games. Ellis’ current 17.8 points per game overall is the seventh-most by a Cardinal in the last 30 seasons.
  • After averaging 1.7 points and 3.6 rebounds across the first nine games, senior forward Sydney Curry is averaging 8.8 points and 6.4 rebounds over the last 11 games while shooting 60% overall. His career-high 19 rebounds against Florida A&M were the most by a Cardinal since Luke Whitehead grabbed 19 boards against Marquette on Jan. 31, 2004.
  • Sophomore forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield missed the last three games with a foot injury. He leads the team with 6.0 rebounds per game and is averaging 7.5 points per contest.
  • Last game: Louisville blew an early double-digit point lead at Boston College, inevitably falling 75-65.
  • KEY FIRST HALF RUN: The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead starting with an 11-0 run over almost five minutes to make it 19-7. Mike James led the charge with 10 points in the first seven minutes of the game. Louisville shot 60% from the field in the first half and 55.6% from the 3-point line.
  • KEY SECOND HALF RUN: The Eagles jumped out at the half to get within one, before going on a 10-0 run over two minutes to take the lead at 46-45. o The Cardinals reclaimed the lead at 50-48, but an 8-0 run by Boston College was the difference.
  • UofL shot 26 of 49 (.531) from the field, 9 of 18 (.500) from 3-point range, and 4 of 6 (.667) from the free-throw line. The Cardinals outscored the Eagles in the paint 34-28, marking the seventh time this season outscoring their opponent in the paint. Louisville outscored the Eagles from the 3-point line 9-8 and shot 50% from behind the arc. This is the third time this season the Cardinals have shot 50% or better.
  • El Ellis registered 17 points, making it his 12th straight game with double-digit points and his 18th of 20 games this season. Ellis had a team-high five assists and added one rebounds in 32 minutes. The guard shot 63.6% (7 of 11) from the field, his highest of the season, and 60% (3 of 5) from the three point line. This is the third time this season he has shot 50% or better from field goal range and 3-point range. Ellis shot no free throws for the first time all season.
  • Mike James tallied 15 points to go along with two rebounds, making it his sixth game this season with double-digit points. The guard added a career-high three assists, one block, and two steals to the stat line, playing a team high 38 minutes.
  • Jae'Lyn Withers scored 16 points, his second-highest point scoring performance this season, and recorded a team-high seven rebounds. This was his eighth double-digit point performance. The forward had one assist in 30 minutes of action.
  • Sydney Curry totaled 10 points and four rebounds in 32 minutes of action. This was his sixth game this season with double-digit points. The forward was 5 of 6 from the field, shooting 83.3%. This was his highest percentage this season when scoring more than three times.

Notre Dame

  • The University of Notre Dame announced on Jan. 19 that Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey will step away from the program at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. Brey has compiled 481 victories with the Irish, which ranks sixth among active NCAA coaches at their current Division-I schools. Career wise, Brey has achieved a 580-321 (.644) record spanning 28 years at Notre Dame and Delaware.
  • Notre Dame’s offense may struggle from time to time, but you can’t argue with the team’s three-point shooting ability. The Irish rank 1st in the ACC in made three-pointers per game and 2nd in three-point shooting percentage. They are averaging 9.2 threes per game, which would rank 4th all-time in program history - the program record is 9.7 set by the 19-20 squad. That number ranks 25th in the country. They are converting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, which checks in 37th nationally.
  • Dane Goodwin has found his offensive rhythm and is Notre Dame’s best player right now with 9 straight games in double figures. He’s amassed 121 points in the last 9 games, averaging 13.4 ppg. He is 49-of-101 (.485) from the field in that stretch. In 2023 (7 games), Goodwin is averaging 13.6 ppg. Plus, he’s also been more active on the glass in 2023 grabbing 45 boards over the last 7 games aka 6.4 rpg.
  • Marcus Hammond is starting to get in a groove as of late and be that guy that Coach Brey thought he could be for the Irish. Three double-digit scoring performances in the last 4 games. He led the team in scoring in two of them (Syracuse + BC, Jan. 14-17) --> had back-to-back games with a season high in made threes (4+5). Hammond is averaging 13.8 ppg over said 4-game span.
  • The Irish have now had three ACC games in which they’ve garnered double-digit leads, only to succumb to the opponent’s rally: 1/14 at Syracuse, 12/21 at Florida State, 1/3 at Boston College. Coach Brey has emphasized that this group has to learn, and quickly, how to close out games, especially on the road.
  • A three-time captain, Ryan used his voice and his leadership ability to rally the Irish in a huddle down seven with 2:30 to go against Georgia Tech on Jan. 10. “C-Mac’s huddle,” said Brey. “Coach didn’t need to say anything. The guys react to him. He was unbelievable. Cormac wants it so bad. He’s invested so much.” Notre Dame then closed regulation on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 65-all to force overtime, where they ultimately won it 73-72.
  • Coach Brey and the Irish have been a force in overtime games the past couple of years. With the 73-72 OT victory over Georgia Tech on Jan. 10, the Irish have now won four straight overtime games and five of their last six - which dates back to Toledo on Jan. 21, 2019.
  • The stats that stick out in wins vs losses: - Points - ND is averaging 75.6 ppg in wins versus 66.7 in losses. Defensively, allowing 66 in wins vs. 76.0 in losses. - FG% - shooting 48.8 percent in wins vs. 42.7 percent in losses - FT Made - ND is averaging 12.9 makes in wins vs. 8.2 in losses. In fact, in losses, opponents have made more free throws (163) than Notre Dame has even attempted (140).
  • The Irish currently rank in the top-10 in two statistical categories. Their highest ranking - 4th in turnovers per game, only surrendering 9.4 per game. Penn State leads there with 8.8. They rank 8th in least amount of fouls per game with 13.5. That has been a Coach Brey staple for awhile. In the last 12 years, Notre Dame has only failed to finish among the top 10 in least amount of personal fouls committed just once. They have also led the country in least amount of personal fouls five times. Next, they rank 25th in made three-pointers per game, averaging 9.2. That number leads the ACC.
  • All the talk about the grad school vets but there’s a freshmen named JJ Starling looking to make a name for himself in the collegiate landscape. Starling, who was ranked 18th by ESPN and was the highest ranked ND recruit since at least 2007 (when ESPN recruiting database began), is off to a solid start - averaging 12.0 ppg. In fact, if the season ended today, JJ’s 12.0 ppg would rank 10th all-time at ND for a freshmen.
  • Since 2000-01 (first year of the Mike Brey era), Notre Dame has led the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (1.44).
  • With the additions of Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski to Notre Dame’s 1,000-point scorers club, the Irish program total bumped to 67. Notre Dame is now in a three-way tie alongside Duke and Villanova for producing the most 1000-point scorers of any program. Louisville sits in second with 69 and UNC the top spot with 79.

(Photo of El Ellis: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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