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Notre Dame Basketball: Irish vs. Louisville in Round 2 of ACC Tourney

By Chase Eyrich

BLACKSBURG, VA - JANUARY 01: Temple 'T.J.' Gibbs #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to dribble past defending Wabissa Bede #3 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Cassell Coliseum on January 1, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - JANUARY 01: Temple 'T.J.' Gibbs #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to dribble past defending Wabissa Bede #3 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Cassell Coliseum on January 1, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame and Louisville will square off in the second round of the ACC Tournament

Survive and advance. That’s the beauty of March. Despite winning only three ACC games this season, Notre Dame’s slate was wiped clean just like everyone else’s. Now, the Irish enter the second round of the ACC Tournament after defeating Georgia Tech on Tuesday.

Things have been difficult for Notre Dame, who lost their final seven games of the regular season. But the same holds true for Louisville, after going 3-7 since the start of February.

The Cardinals will have the same “new season” mindset heading into the ACC Tournament.

With one of Louisville’s three wins in their last ten coming against the Irish, Mike Brey’s team will need a mix of what they had in that game as well as what we saw on Tuesday.

The trio of John Mooney, Temple Gibbs and Prentiss Hubb was holding its weight against Louisville, but it was clear that they needed more help. It was a game that got away — like so many others in the last few minutes — but was evenly played the majority of the time.

A big difference maker this time around will be if Notre Dame can have the same offensive pace that they did in the first half against Georgia Tech. The Irish scored 52 points in the game, their most in ACC play all season.

Notre Dame’s best chance will be if they have Nate Laszewski back. The freshman went down in the latter parts of the first half on Tuesday and wouldn’t return. Their success on the offensive end would fail to return as well.

Laszewski and his newfound confidence give Notre Dame an outside presence that opens up the offense and pathways for Mooney.

Of course, Notre Dame will direct their attention to Jordan Nwora and Malik Williams, both of whom had big games against the Irish.

The rebounding battle could quietly become the deciding factor Wednesday night. Notre Dame’s success is directly correlated with their ability to rebound on the offensive glass.

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If the Irish are going to advance to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, they will need to play with the intensity and confidence that they had with Laszewski on the court against Georgia Tech.