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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish host Louisville in battle of top two teams

By Jordan Small

COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Jessica Shepard #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish grabs a rebound against the Connecticut Huskies during overtime in the semifinals of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on March 30, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Connecticut Huskies 91-89. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - MARCH 30: Jessica Shepard #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish grabs a rebound against the Connecticut Huskies during overtime in the semifinals of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on March 30, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Connecticut Huskies 91-89. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The next big test on the schedule for the Notre Dame Women’s Basketball team will be Thursday night when they play host to Louisville.

Now two games into ACC play, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team will face their toughest test of league play as they welcome Louisville to Purcell Pavilion on Thursday night. The primetime matchup of the top two teams in the country will certainly have important implications in both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. With Louisville being undefeated, Notre Dame will be looking to play spoiler in order to retain their number one spot in the standings.

The Irish

It was another 20-plus point victory for the Irish on Sunday night–their sixth straight. The Irish shot the ball well from the field, shooting nearly 55 percent. One area though that they struggled in was from the free throw line. Notre Dame went under 50 percent from the line, making 7 of 15 shots from the stripe. This didn’t hurt them very much against a team like Georgia Tech, but when they play host to the number two team in the country, that could be the difference maker in the game.

An area that they excelled in against Georgia Tech was their assists. On 34 baskets, the Irish had 30 assists. That is something that will serve them very well not only against Louisville, but also as they get deeper into ACC play. If everyone on the team is doing a good job of sharing the ball, the right people are going to be taking good shots.

Louisville

The Louisville Cardinals are 14-0 on the year and have started off ACC play with victories over North Carolina and Duke. Louisville has faced just one ranked opponent this season, a matchup with #19 Arizona State in a Thanksgiving tournament. If Irish fans are familiar with Louisville at all, they will likely remember the name Asia Durr. Once again, she is tearing it up offensively, averaging 20.9 points per game. Senior Sam Fuehring is a player to watchout for on the glass as she leads Louisville in rebounds with an average of 6.3 per game.

This game could have major implications in the ACC title race and later in the year when both teams are vying for seeding in the NCAA tournament. With the matchup coming so early in the season, the winner of this game will have a real advantage heading forward.

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How to watch

Tip-off for the matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.