Notre Dame heads to Louisville for an ACC clash set for Wednesday night at KFC Yum! Center. The Irish are trying to steady the ship after a bumpy conference season, while the Cardinals have protected home court and carry more firepower on offense. Can Notre Dame end its losing streak, or will Louisville continue its winning ways at home? Find out below as I make my Notre Dame vs Louisville prediction in college hoops.
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
Venue: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
Broadcast: ESPN2
Key Storylines
Availability notes for Notre Dame remain important: veteran guard Markus Burton has been sidelined after early-December ankle surgery, putting more creation duties on freshman Jalen Haralson, who now leads the Irish in scoring at 15.5 points per game.
Frontcourt depth is thin for Notre Dame with Kebba Njie out for the season, and big-man rotation questions linger. Keeping Louisville off the glass will be a serious test.
Louisville’s leading scorer Ryan Conwell continues to headline the attack with near 20 points per game and has help from multiple wings. The Cards have been stronger at home with double-digit wins and improved ball movement in front of their home crowd.
Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. had missed time earlier but recently logged productive minutes. If he’s fully in rhythm, Louisville’s guard play becomes even harder to contain.
Tempo battle: Notre Dame prefers a slower game to protect possessions, while Louisville is more comfortable in the 80s with pace-and-space actions and catch-and-shoot threes.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
Past meetings: Louisville won the last meeting between these teams by a score of 75-60 in February 2025. The Fighting Irish had won four straight games over Louisville before that.
Notre Dame is 11-11 against the spread so far this season.
Louisville enters this game with a 12-9 record against the spread.
The Fighting Irish are 14-8 to the over this season.
The under is 12-9 in Louisville's games this year.
Home/road splits: Notre Dame is 2-5 away from home, while Louisville is 11-2 at the KFC Yum! Center.
Notre Dame vs Louisville Model Projection
Score Projection: Notre Dame 69 – Louisville 78
Win Probability: Notre Dame 28%, Louisville 72%
Final Thoughts
With Louisville’s offense humming at home and Notre Dame still piecing together scoring without Burton, the Cardinals have clearer paths to victory in this game. The Irish need a big night from Haralson plus a defensive masterclass to steal it. My model favors Louisville by high single digits, making Louisville the winner of this game, while the Fighting Irish should cover the spread as a sizable underdog on the road.
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