Micah Shrewsberry’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s basketball team returned to South Bend on Sunday night to welcome the Louisville Cardinals to Purcell Pavilion for the first of a critical three-game homestand.
The Irish were victorious last time out, as they snapped their disappointing three-game losing skid with an exhilarating, 97-94 double-overtime win in Chestnut Hill over Boston College. That victory gave Notre Dame the season sweep over the Eagles and also pushed the Irish two games clear of the ACC Tournament cutline.
Leading the Irish all season long has been sophomore guard Markus Burton. Since returning in early January from a lower-body injury, Burton has scored at least 20 points in nine of 11 appearances, including a career-high 32 at BC on Wednesday. Burton’s offensive outburst has set multiple Notre Dame records and has allowed him to surpass Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg for the highest scoring average in ACC play with 23.0 points per game.
Notre Dame would be without the leadership of graduate guard Matt Allocco for the fourth consecutive game, however, as he continued to nurse a right wrist injury suffered in the Feb. 1 loss at Miami.
Across the sideline, it has been a complete 180 for Louisville in head coach Pat Kelsey’s first year following the disastrous tenure of Kenny Payne. The Cardinals entered the contest at 19-6 and 12-2 in the ACC. Kelsey’s work engineering this turnaround with a transfer-littered team has earned him National Coach of the Year consideration.
The Cards are also spearheaded by a dynamic backcourt, including star transfer point guard Chucky Hepburn. After coming over from Wisconsin last offseason, Hepburn has led his group in scoring with 15 points per game, while also topping the ACC with 6.2 assists and 2.3 steals nightly.
On the floor, sophomore guard Braeden Shrewsberry wasted no time breaking out of his shooting slump, as the coach’s son canned 3 triples in the opening five minutes to bring the Irish faithful to their feet early. The Cardinals would quickly join in on the 3-point barrage, as Charleston transfer Reyne Smith, who entered the game second nationally with 96 made threes, buried treys on back-to-back trips to give Louisville an early advantage.
The Cards were able to push their lead out to 7 as a 5-minute scoring drought for the Irish corresponded with a 13-0 Louisville run. The Irish were able to claw back as Burton finally started to leave his imprint, before a missed layup and subsequent second foul sidelined him for over five minutes.
Both teams would struggle to score for the remainder of the opening frame before Smith connected on his third three-ball of the half, sending Louisville into the locker room with a 35-28 advantage. The Cardinals shot just 13 for 30 from the field in the first half, but they impressively assisted on 9 of those makes.
With his 4 triples on the night, Smith moved into sole possession of second on the all-time Louisville single-season made 3-pointers list. Describing him as “a son,” Kelsey praised the determination of Smith, saying, “It’s emotional for me to see the success he has had on this stage. For a guy who came over with me from Charleston, it’s a testament to his hard work to see him raise his level in the ACC.”
Notre Dame only had four players score during the first half, led by Burton with 11 and Shrewsberry with 9. Junior forward Tae Davis, the Irish’s second leading scorer, was held to just 4 points on 4 shots as he found his way into early foul trouble, eventually picking up a costly third personal just 15 minutes in.
The Irish made an initial push coming out of the intermission, as a Davis and-1 with just a second remaining on the shot clock cut the Louisville lead to just 3. The Cardinals made a major statement with their response, which was spearheaded by a deep triple from reigning ACC Player of the Week Terrence Edwards Jr., who became a father yesterday as announced by Kelsey after the game. Kelsey’s group extended its advantage to 11 with just under 10 minutes remaining, prompting Shrewsberry to burn a timeout.
The message wasn’t received however, as the Cardinals would convert on each of their next 7 shots, punctuated by consecutive treys from transfer guard J’Vonne Hadley. Hepburn, who would finish with 6 total assists, helped out on both, and the Cardinal lead ballooned to 18.
“It was a very physical game, and both teams battled. I thought our guys were really gritty during that stretch when we extended our lead,” Kelsey said.
The Cardinals would hang on to the big advantage, as they have all conference season, taking this one 75-60 in their sixth 15-plus-point ACC victory. Louisville now leads the all-time series over Notre Dame 27-19. Sunday’s win was their first against the Irish in nearly four years, following four consecutive defeats.
Led by Hepburn with 16 and Edwards with 14, all five starters for the Cardinals scored in double figures. Hepburn also tallied 6 assists and 3 steals to match his season averages. Burton was once again the leading scorer for Notre Dame, totaling 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting during his 36 minutes of action.
After his hot start, Shrewsberry misfired on his next 10 attempts before a garbage-time 3 gave him 12 points on the night. As has been the story this year, Notre Dame got very little production from its bench, with the only points coming on a single made field goal from senior forward J.R. Konieczny.
Speaking on the lack of scoring depth, Shrewsberry commented, “We need to find a way to create more easy shots, and when we get there we have to make more easy shots.”
In a shortened postgame press conference that ended with a fiery rant, Coach Shrewsberry lauded the commitment of his team and assured the media and fans that he knows he can turn the ship around. Shrewsberry was frustrated by the lack of fan support against Louisville and all season long, and sent a clear message that if fans don’t show up now, then they shouldn’t bother when the wins start to roll.
“We’re gonna keep fighting. As a group, as a team, we are gonna fight. I understand that a lot of people have given up on this team, but I know this team isn’t going to quit. So don’t quit on these kids,” he concluded.
The Cardinals will have a midweek bye before continuing the pursuit of their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2019, as they return home to the KFC Yum! Center on Saturday to put their four-game winning streak on the line against Florida State.
Notre Dame’s homestand will continue with two more NCAA Tournament hopefuls coming to town, as the SMU Mustangs will make the trip to Northern Indiana on Wednesday evening before the Pittsburgh Panthers visit Purcell Pavilion for a Saturday afternoon showdown. Wednesday’s 7 p.m. tipoff with SMU can be seen nationally on ACC Network.
