Notre Dame basketball: 3 takeaways from the win over Louisville
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame basketball team blew out the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, and here are three takeaways from the 82-70 victory.
Despite going into the game as a three-point underdog per WynnBet, the Notre Dame basketball team took care of business against Louisville on Saturday. Led by star true freshman Blake Wesley, the Irish went on a 20-3 run in the second half, erasing a deficit, and cruising to victory inside the KFC Yum! Center.
With win No. 12 in the books, the Irish turn their attention to NC State, but first, let us look at some takeaways from this victory.
Notre Dame basketball: 3 takeaways from the win over Louisville
No. 1: Irish were lethal from the outside
To say that the Irish are a good shooting team would be a wild understatement, as nearly all of their players can fill it up from beyond the arc. Against Louisville, Notre Dame basketball made 15 3-pointers, which is a large number, but more importantly, they accomplished that by shooting an absurd 65.2 percent from the arc.
In this game, every player that stepped on the court outside of Paul Atkinson Jr. made a three-point shot, including Trey Wertz, who went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and scored his 1,000th collegiate point.
No. 2: Blake Wesley is a top-10 pick
When Blake Wesley was inserted into the starting lineup for the Kentucky game, many felt he would definitely have a positive impact on this Irish team. However, nobody saw this coming, as Wesley has become one of the best scorers in the ACC, and has played his way into being a legitimate 2022 NBA Draft prospect.
In fact, Wesley is currently rising up draft boards at such a rate that I believe he will be a top-10 pick when all is said and done. He can score with anyone, does not let down on the defensive end, and unfortunately for Irish fans, we could be seeing a one-and-done player.
No. 3: The Irish are going dancing this season
Recently, we put together a piece on whether or not the Irish would return to the NCAA Tournament this season, as they have failed to miss the big dance every year since 2017. However, this is a veteran-laded team that plays unselfish basketball, and they already have some solid wins under their belts.
If the Irish can continue to play the way they did on Saturday, especially with some huge ACC games coming up, you have to like their chances of playing in March. Big road ACC wins are crucial to stack your resume, and the Irish definitely have something special cooking right now.