Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Championship Sunday
Louisville will be seeking its first ACC win of the season when it travels to Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals have lost nine straight games, including a 75-65 setback at Boston College on Wednesday. Notre Dame is on a four-game losing streak and has only recorded one win against a conference team.
Louisville has arguably been the most disappointing team in college basketball this season, which started when the Cardinals lost nine straight games. Their only two wins came in mid-December when they beat Western Kentucky and Florida A&M, but they have lost nine straight games since then. They have not been able to stay within single digits since Jan. 3 in a 70-69 loss to Syracuse, losing five consecutive games by double digits. The Cardinals held a 48-45 lead against Boston College with 11:46 remaining on Wednesday night, but they were unable to hold on down the stretch in a 75-65 loss.
Got that Boston work in, now it's wheels down in South Bend ??#GoCards pic.twitter.com/fO40UgNOWa
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) January 27, 2023
They have been terrible on the offensive end of the court, ranked No. 321 in effective field goal percentage (46.6) and No. 361 in turnover rate. Louisville is shooting just 32.3% from 3-point range and 45.7% from inside the arc, and its offensive rebounding rate sits outside the top 235, despite ranking ninth in average height. The Cardinals are also one of the most inexperienced teams in the country, ranked No. 339 in that category. They are facing a Notre Dame defense that is No. 282 in adjusted efficiency. Senior guard El Ellis leads Louisville with 17.8 points, 4.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game.