Louisville Defeats Notre Dame for 20th Win, Clinches First Round ACC Tournament Bye

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Making the trek up north for a matchup at Notre Dame, the Louisville men's basketball program earned yet another road win, leaving the Joyce Center with a 75-60 victory on Sunday.

The Cardinals (20-6, 13-2 ACC) clinch a 20-win season for the first time since the 2019-20 season, when they went 24-7 before COVID canceled the postseason. They also extend their current winning streak to four, move to 8-1 in conference road games this season, and snap a four-game skid against the Fighting Irish (11-14, 5-9 ACC).

Most importantly, Louisville's win at Notre Dame clinches at least a single-bye in the ACC Tournament. They can clinch one of the four double-byes with wins in three of their final five games of the regular season.

While not their most efficient game this season, Louisville still wound up shooting 49.1 percent from the floor, as well as 11-of-33 in three-point attempts. Conversely, they also held Notre Dame to just 36.4 percent shooting and 6-of-22 on threes.

All five starters for Louisville finished in double figures scoring. Chucky Hepburn led the way with 16 points and six assists, Terrence Edwards Jr. added 14 points, James Scott posted a 10-point and 10-rebound double-double, and J'Vonne Hadley scored 10 as well.

Reyne Smith also broke double figures with 12 points, while also becoming just the third-ever Cardinal to make 100 threes in a season. He tied's Preston Knowles' 100 makes in 2010-11, and only trails Taquan Dean's 122 threes in 2004-05 and 105 triples in 2005-06.

Louisville was a little bit out of sorts with their execution and focus in the opening segment of the game. They connected on just two of their first eight attempts, and it seemed to impact their defense, as Notre Dame opened the game shooting 7-of-11.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for the Cardinals to snap back into focus. After the sharp start by the Fighting Irish, an increase in physicality and decisiveness by their visitors resulted in them shooting just 5-of-19 in the rest of the half.

Add in an 8-of-11 shooting stretch by Louisville, and it produced a 13-0 run that saw them flip a six-point deficit into a seven-point lead with over eight minutes until halftime. While UofL only hit three of their final 11 tries of the period, they still took a 35-28 lead into halftime.

Early in the second half, Louisville couldn't cobble together the possessions necessary to go on a run and put their hosts away. In the first 10 minutes of the period, they shot 5-of-10, while Notre Dame's 3-of-10 shooting and nine free throws kept them within striking distance.

Then, the turning point finally came. Louisville fired off a 13-2 run, pushing their lead to as much as 18 with 6:51 left. From here, they were able to coast to the finish line with relative ease and secure the win.

Next up, Louisville returns home for a rematch with Florida State. Tip-off against the Seminoles is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of James Scott: Matt Cashore - Imagn Images)

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