Brooks Holton, Louisville Courier JournalThu, February 5, 2026 at 2:06 AM UTC·2 min readMikel Brown Jr. knocked down a pair of free throws to give Louisville basketball its fourth one-point lead over Notre Dame of the first half with 3:19 to play in the period.
Then, Pat Kelsey dialed up the pressure. And the No. 23 Cardinals (16-6, 6-4 ACC) never trailed the Fighting Irish (11-12, 2-8) again.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementKhani Rooths and Sananda Fru suffocated Notre Dame guard Jalen Haralson in the right corner on the ensuing inbounds pass. They forced a heldball – possession arrow UofL.
A few moments later, after Rooths misfired from 3-point range, Adrian Wooley snagged Louisville’s ninth offensive rebound of the half with one hand. The sophomore guard tried a layup and missed but came down with the ball again. Then, Rooths darted toward the basket. Wooley hit him in stride, and he finished the play with a two-handed flourish.
That sequence was part of a 14-7 swing – and a 31-16 extended run – that put the Cards in the driver’s seat en route to a 76-65 victory.
The cushion was enough for UofL weather a rocky second half that saw it miss 10 consecutive shots between the 11:58 mark and the 7:38 mark. Then, clinging to a 59-54 lead with 8:13 remaining in regulation, Kelsey’s team showed off its closing speed with a 14-0 run that put this one out of reach.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIsaac McKneely led Louisville with 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc, followed by Fru, Rooths and Ryan Conwell with 12 apiece.
Up next for Louisville: a noon tipoff at Wake Forest’s Joel Coliseum. The Demon Deacons have the week off after falling to 11-11 overall and 2-7 in the ACC with a loss to N.C. State on Jan. 31 – their eighth in the past 10 games.
This story will be updated.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball beats Notre Dame, UofL overcomes slow start
AdvertisementAdvertisement