Steve Vasturia didn’t use up all of his late game heroics on New Year’s Eve. For the second straight game, Vasturia nailed a huge bucket to propel the Irish victory. This time is was an awkward runner in the lane and this time it was over #9 Louisville at Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame knocked off the Cardinals 77-70 for the sixth straight time at home against Pitino’s Cards.
Vasturia’s last minute runner was just a cherry on top of his standout performance Wednesday night. He set a career high with 24 points to go along with six boards. Vasturia paced the Irish in the second win in as many tries in ACC but Matt Farrell wasn’t far behind. Farrell chipped in 22 points matching his own career high set a couple weeks back in the loss to Purdue.
Bonzie Colson had another ho hum double-double with 18 points and 14 boards. Just another day at the office for Colson who now has nine double-doubles on the season and 14 rebounds in back to back ACC contests.
Notre Dame lead throughout most of the game, but never pulled away leaving most Irish fans feeling as if it was only a matter of time before the Cardinals stormed ahead. That never happened and Notre Dame now sits at 2-0 in ACC play with wins over Pitt and Louisville.
The Cardinals made it very interesting, however, with just over 2:00 remaining. After a cold stretch from Notre Dame, Louisville tied the game at 68. Vasturia’s big basket and more clutch free throw shooting from the Irish sealed the deal. Notre Dame hit 22 of 25 free throws and continues to be the best free throw shooting team in the country.
Notre Dame pulled off the upset tonight while lacking their normal home court advantage. Notre Dame has not resumed classes following winter break yet leaving a void in the student section. The hometown locals picked up the slack, however, and cheered on Notre Dame’s latest win over Louisville.
This was easily Notre Dame’s most impressive victory of the season. The Irish have had chances to knock off ranked teams twice this season against Purdue and Villanova but blew second half leads in both contests.
Notre Dame’s win improved their RPI from 50th all the way up to 29th. Notre Dame moved up to 23rd in the AP Rankings earlier this week and if they can make it 3-0 in ACC this weekend, they are in store for a nice bump.
To do that the Irish will have to take down 11-3 Clemson. The Irish and Tigers face off Saturday inside the friendly confines of the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame fans of course would prefer the Irish to be facing Clemson in another sport right about now, but I digress.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
APPARENTLY BEATING TEAMS MEANS NOTHING .THE IRISH BEAT LOUISVILLE, THEN CLEMSON. IRISH HAVE LOST 2 GAMES, THE CARDINAL 3 GAMES. THE TOP 25 CAME OUT, AND LOUSVILLE IS RANKED MUCH HIGHER THAN NOTRE DAME. MORE IRISH HATING. MIKE BREY DOES NOT GET 5 STAR RECRUITS, AND THE IRISH HAVE MADE BACK TO BACK ELITE EIGHTS. GREAT COACH, GREAT SYSTEM!
Hurls, you’re right, I’m not a Notre Dame Fan. I’m a Fightin’Irish Fanatic!
Q for the “Crazy King” > why post on a Notre Dame-fan site if you aren’t a Notre Dame fan? Just asking…
An upset, big deal, crazy Mike knew all along. Consistency is the name of the game. The flaws will all come out vs. the Tigers.