High Post Hoops
Fansided

Around the ACC: Notre Dame earns top seed in upcoming ACC tourney

By Steve Bittenbender

TOLEDO, OH - DECEMBER 8: Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Jackie Young (5) drives to the basket against Toledo Rockets forward Sarah St-Fort (5) during a regular season non-conference game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Toledo Rockets on December 8, 2018, at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TOLEDO, OH - DECEMBER 8: Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Jackie Young (5) drives to the basket against Toledo Rockets forward Sarah St-Fort (5) during a regular season non-conference game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Toledo Rockets on December 8, 2018, at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
TALLAHASSEE, FL – JANUARY 24: Asia Durr (25) guard Louisville Cardinals dribbles the basketball across mid-court against the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles in an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) match-up, Thursday, January 24, 2019, at Donald Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by David Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL – JANUARY 24: Asia Durr (25) guard Louisville Cardinals dribbles the basketball across mid-court against the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles in an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) match-up, Thursday, January 24, 2019, at Donald Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by David Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Cardinals earn share of second straight ACC title thanks to defense

Louisville, meanwhile, couldn’t replicate the lights-out performance it had on Thursday night. The No. 3 Cardinals didn’t need it anyway thanks to dominant defensive performance.

The Cardinals 67-40 win over Pittsburgh marked the fewest points UofL has given up this season, and it was the eighth time the Cardinals held an ACC opponent to less than 50 points.

Louisville shot just 42.6 percent, thanks mainly to making just 5-of-27 3-pointers, but the Cardinals held Pittsburgh to just 2-of-16 shooting in the second quarter, which allowed them to pull away.

Asia Durr led the Cards with 17 points, and that allowed the senior to beat Ogunbowale for the ACC scoring title by less than a .03 margin.

With the win, the Cardinals finished in a tie with Notre Dame atop the ACC standings, although the Irish earned the top seed due to their win over Louisville in January. Still, it marked the first time in school history that Louisville has won or shared a conference title in back-to-back seasons.

"“I think it says a lot about these young women, the coaching staff, the support staff, everybody,” Louisville coach Jeff Walz said during his postgame radio interview with Cardinals announcer Nick Curran. “It’s been a great run. There’s no question about it. Now is when the fun starts. It’s one-and-done. It’s survive and advance. Don’t care how you win. You just got to figure out a way to score one more point. It’s going to be an unbelievable ACC Tournament.”"

Home/ACC