| GAME 29 | NO. 10 NOTRE DAME AT LOUISVILLE |
|---|---|
| WHEN: | SUNDAY, FEB. 26 | NOON E.T. |
| WHERE: | LOUISVILLE, KY | KFC YUM! CENTER |
| WATCH: | ESPN |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| NOTES: | ND NOTES |
| SOCIAL: | @NDWBB | #GOIRISH |
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A regular season ACC championship comes down to this.
On Sunday, No. 10 Notre Dame (23-4, 14-3) will face rival Louisville (21-9, 12-5) for the second time in 10 days. The Irish squeaked by at home on Feb. 16, as Olivia Miles hit an overtime buzzer-beater to top the visitors, 78-76. Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey called it her most exciting win as a head coach.
“It’s a moment I’ll never forget,” Ivey told reporters earlier this week. “For Olivia, you sometimes have that one shot that takes you to the next level. I felt like that was such an elite performance and finish, and it will go down in history for her.”
A rivalry win is always a huge goal, but there’s something greater hangs in the balance on Sunday. If Notre Dame wins, the Irish earn at least a share of the ACC regular season championship. They are currently tied atop the standings with Duke. If the Blue Devils were to win as well, the two teams would share a title. If Notre Dame wins and Duke loses, the Irish would win outright.
Notre Dame’s last ACC regular season title came in 2018-19, at which point the Irish had won six consecutive championships. They advanced to the national title that season.
Looking back at the matchup at hand, two of the ACCs best guards will go at it in Louisville. Miles, who is the only ACC player who ranks in the conference’s top 10 in points, rebounds and assists per game, will be looking to replicate or better that performance from 10 days ago. She put up 18 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists on Feb. 16. On the other bench, Hailey Van Lith serves as the heartbeat of the Cardinals team. She paced them with 19 points against Notre Dame in the first game, and she is averaging 19.2 per contest on the year.
In addition to Van Lith, Notre Dame will have to find a way to contain Chrislyn Carr. She went 6-for-9 from the floor and 3-for-4 from deep against the Irish the first time out.
Notre Dame’s Kylee Watson has been on fire in recent weeks, including putting up a 20-piece against Louisville the first time. In Watson’s last four games, she is averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The New Jersey junior put up her first career double-double on Thursday…