They aren’t going to hang the game in a museum, but Louisville got the job done Wednesday night with a 76-65 triumph over visiting Notre Dame.
Five players scored in double figures for a Cardinal team that found a way to win despite shooting just 7-for-31 (23%) from beyond the arc. Isaac McKneely’s 13 points — thanks to 4-of-8 shooting from three- led the way.
The surprise story of the night was Kasean Pryor. After seeing no playing time in each of Louisville’s last three games, the senior forward
gave the Cardinals a much-needed lift with 10 points, 5 rebounds and a pair of steals. Pryor saw extended action due in large part to a back injury that limited J’Vonne Hadley to just three minutes.
U of L played a solid defensive game against a Notre Dame team that has now lost 8 of its last 9, limiting the Fighting Irish to 24-of-62 (39%) shooting from the field.
Khani: Good
Kasean: Good
ZOU: Good
Isaac’s shooting: Good
Overall defensive effort: Good
The offense was disjointed and no one shot it well outside of Isaac, but maybe a game like this could be good for this team as it nears the stretch run. Even though they have the ability to score a lot of points on any given night, more consistent defensive effort is the only path for this team to play deep into March. Perhaps we’re learning that.
Two days of rest and then two games in three days.
Let’s win a third straight game for the first time since November (seriously, look it up).
