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Notre Dame Basketball: Irish and Louisville Square Off With Seasons on the Line

By Chase Eyrich

SOUTH BEND, IN - JANUARY 05: John Mooney #33 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to the basket while defended by Bourama Sidibe #34 of the Syracuse Orange in the second half of the game at Purcell Pavilion on January 5, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. Syracuse won 72-62. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - JANUARY 05: John Mooney #33 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to the basket while defended by Bourama Sidibe #34 of the Syracuse Orange in the second half of the game at Purcell Pavilion on January 5, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. Syracuse won 72-62. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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It’s officially March, which means the Notre Dame basketball team is putting the finishing touches on its 2018-2019 resume.

Notre Dame basketball and Louisville are playing for different ends. Louisville needs to beat Notre Dame to have a chance at the big dance, and if the Irish want to play in the postseason, they must find a way to win to keep a shot at an NIT bid alive.

Unless the Irish find the magic needed to win the ACC Tournament, making the NCAA Tournament was a dream crushed long ago. But there’s still a chance for the NIT Tournament, which would provide a lot of valuables to a young Notre Dame team.

Even that will be an uphill battle as the Irish must be at least .500 on the season to qualify for the NIT. The Irish are two games behind the .500 mark and have three games remaining with Lousiville, Clemson, and Pittsburgh. That means the Irish have a chance, but they also haven’t won three games in a row since November.

In short, a tall task sits in front of the Irish.

This season has had many high points for the Cardinals, including being ranked as high as 15th in the country following a marquee victory against Michigan State. The beginning of ACC play also treated Louisville well, as the Cardinals amassed a 7-1 record in the month of January.

But February hit the Cardinals harder than the piercing cold hits you walking out of the Joyce Center in South Bend.

The Cardinals went 2-6 in the second month of the year. Granted, the schedule became much tougher, but more recently, the losses to Syracuse and Boston College have shown the broken spirit of this team.

When it comes to the dog fight that we are likely in for between the Irish and Cardinals, the game is as open as can be.

Steven Enoch makes the most of the minutes he gets and is coming of off his best game this season with 22 points. The 6-foot-10-inch center could make it a battle with John Mooney, or he could at least provide some relief on the boards, which Mooney has dominated this season.

But the battle down low may never materialize if Notre Dame’s Temple Gibbs can get things going quickly. If Gibbs can’t get off to a good start, Prentiss Hubb and D.J. Harvey have the opportunity to open up the court. If Notre Dame’s guards can get things going on the offensive end, as we saw in the first half of the Florida State game, they likely control the tempo of the game.

Next. Slap the Sign catches up with Notre Dame basketball recruit Jaden Ivey. dark

The must-win between Notre Dame and Louisville tips off Sunday at 1:30 PM ET.