March 03--Louisville and Notre Dame didn't play last season. That meant the heart rates of both fan bases received a collective reprieve from the high drama that has been a hallmark of the teams' recent basketball rivalry.
Six times in the last 10 meetings, Louisville and Notre Dame have had to play at least one overtime.
The only season since 2009 the Irish and Cardinals haven't played an overtime game was last season, which Louisville spent in the American Athletic Conference before joining the ACC.
But the rivalry is back on Wednesday at Louisville's Yum Center.
"The last recruiting weekend there was an event in Louisville this past July," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "I was out to dinner and I don't know how many Louisville fans come up and go, 'Coach, can't wait until next year, you know we're going to play overtime.' Their fans and our fans, they identify with it."
Brey said he kids with Louisville coach Rick Pitino before each game and asks him how many overtimes he feels like playing that particular night. Neither can give a solid reason why it keeps happening. The last overtime salvo was among the best college basketball games of the last few years when Notre Dame outlasted Louisville 104-101 in five overtimes on Feb. 9, 2013.
"They've just been great basketball games. Five overtimes, just great, great games," Pitino said. "One of the things about Notre Dame is when they trail they're never out of it because their 3-point shot is such a great weapon. It's one of those great rivalries where every game's exciting, a lot of anxious moments."
Louisville's full-court pressure has been responsible for a lot of anxious moments from Notre Dame. The Irish's sophomore trio of Demetrius Jackson, Steve Vasturia and V.J. Beachem has yet to experience that pressure, but the Irish have had nearly a week off to prepare for it.
Brey said he piped in crowd noise for practice to simulate the intense atmosphere inside the Yum Center. The Irish also worked on their zone offense after shooting just 35 percent against Syracuse last week.
"The days we've looked good (in practice) we've made shots (against the zone)," Brey said. "We'll have to deal with the press back to it. So that's kind of double test of your mental toughness.
"The crowd noise, that's a great test. The crowd noise makes you play too fast."
And the Irish may have to put up with it for more than 40 minutes.
"You're never out of the game," Pitino said. "And you have to play all 40 minutes and then some."
chine@tribpub.com
