Notre Dame defeated Louisville 63-57 in South Bend on Wednesday night.

The win gives the Fighting Irish their 10th ACC victory of the season. More importantly, it vaults them into sole possession of 1st place in the ACC.

Paul Atkinson Jr. led the way with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He also had a game-high 15 rebounds in 37 minutes.

This was an excellent defensive game for Notre Dame. Louisville shot just 38 percent from the field and attempted only three free throws on the night.

The Cardinals were atrocious from long-range, making just 5-of-30 3-point attempts. El Ellis made three of those long range shots by himself.

Notre Dame is now a half game up on Duke for the lead in the ACC. Ironically, the Irish are still on the NCAA Tournament bubble due to a rough start to begin the year.

Still, they’ve lost just twice since Christmas and also have a win over Kentucky on their résumé. If they continue to pick up ACC wins at this rate, it’s hard to imagine Notre Dame being left out of the Field of 64.

Notre Dame faces Clemson on the road on Saturday.