Cardinals Set for Saturday Afternoon Matchup at Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Louisville men's basketball completes a five-day road swing with a trip to Notre Dame at 12 p.m. ET Saturday in South Bend, Ind. The game will air on ESPN2.

The Cardinals lost their ninth straight game Wednesday with a 75-65 loss at Boston College, despite shooting 53% from the field and 50% from 3-point range. Notre Dame has lost four in a row, most recently falling 85-82 at NC State on Tuesday.

Louisville is 26-17 all-time against Notre Dame, but just 6-10 on the road. The Cardinals have lost two in a row in the series after previously winning the last six.

GAME 21

Louisville (2-18, 0-9 ACC) at Notre Dame (9-12, 1-9 ACC)
January 28, 2023 | 12 p.m. ET
Purcell Pavilion | South Bend, Ind.

MEDIA INFO

Listen: Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9 FM & WGTK 970 AM flagship); Streaming (Paul Rogers, pxp | Jody Demling, Analysis)

Watch: ESPN2 (Doug Sherman, pxp | Cory Alexander, analyst | Angel Gray, sideline)

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

TOP STORYLINES

• On Jan. 19, Louisville added freshman forward/center Emmanuel Okorafor to the roster. Okorafor is a 6-foot-9 native of Lagos, Nigeria, and is eligible immediately after arriving from NBA Academy Africa.

• Over the last six games since turning the calendar to 2023, redshirt freshman guard/forward Mike James is averaging 14.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field and 48% from the 3-point line. In the first 14 games of the season, James averaged just 6.9 points while shooting 44% overall and 31% from 3-point range.

• Over the last 11 games, senior guard El Ellis has averaged 19.7 points, 5.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals. As of Friday, Ellis was one of 22 players in the nation with at least 350 points and 90 assists this season. After having a positive or even assist-to-turnover ratio just three times in the first nine games of the season, Ellis has been positive or even in nine of the last 11 games. Ellis' current 17.8 points per game overall is the seventh-most by a Cardinal in the last 30 seasons.

• After averaging 1.7 points and 3.6 rebounds across the first nine games, senior forward Sydney Curry is averaging 8.8 points and 6.4 rebounds over the last 11 games while shooting 60% overall. His career-high 19 rebounds against Florida A&M were the most by a Cardinal since Luke Whitehead grabbed 19 boards against Marquette on Jan. 31, 2004.

• Sophomore forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield missed the last three games with a foot injury. He leads the team with 6.0 rebounds per game and is averaging 7.5 points per contest.

HISTORY VS. NOTRE DAME (UofL leads 26-17)

Last Meeting: Notre Dame 63, Louisville 57
Feb. 9, 2022 | South Bend, Ind.

Paul Atkinson Jr. scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds as Notre Dame recovered after blowing a 14-point lead to beat Louisville 63-57.

Atkinson collected his third straight double-double, Dane Goodwin added 16 points and Blake Wesley 11 for Notre Dame, which beat Louisville twice in the same season for the first time.

Jae'Lyn Withers scored a career-tying 20 points, El Ellis added 13 and Dre Davis 10 for the Cardinals.

After trailing by 14 in the final minute of the first half, Louisville converted a turnover into a transition dunk by Davis to cap a 12-2 run for a 55-54 lead with 6:14 to go. Notre Dame responded with an 8-0 burst capped by a 3-pointer by Prentiss Hubb after he had missed his first six from distance. The Cardinals scored only two points in the final five minutes.

Notre Dame was without starter and leading rebounder, Nate Laszewski, who suffered a lower leg injury in the Irish's win over North Carolina State on Saturday.

Louisville's top scorer and rebounder, 6-foot-11 Malik Williams, serving a team suspension the past two games, played only six first-half minutes and was scoreless.

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey faced Louisville interim coach Mike Pegues for the first time. Pegues played for Brey at Delaware (1996-2000).

Cardinals Set for Saturday Afternoon Matchup at Notre Dame

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Curry

Dre Davis

El Ellis

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield

Mike James

Emmanuel Okorafor

Malik Williams

Jae'Lyn Withers

University of Louisville Athletics