From the tears during the Louisville senior day ceremony before the game to the tears of Olivia Miles and Hailey Van Lith when they had to miss time on the court, Sunday afternoon’s game between the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville was an emotional one.
It was also a physical one, with the Irish prevailing 68-65 to win the ACC regular season championship outright. They got help from Duke’s loss to North Carolina.
Miles, who is in the running for ACC Player of the Year, landed awkwardly with 2:35 to go in the second quarter and remained on the floor with apparent pain in her right knee. She was able to walk off the court with a slight limp, later returning with an ice pack on her knee before eventually being seen with her entire leg wrapped. She did not get back on the court in the contest.
Even more significant than winning the ACC regular-season trophy will be the health of Miles moving forward, as having the best chance possible of winning the NCAA Tournament is more important than the regular-season accomplishment. Miles’ emotional display, crying while talking to her dad even after returning to the bench, could indicate that she already knows she will miss an extended period of time. However, that…
