Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

Louisville Cardinals (12-14, 6-10 ACC) at North Carolina Tar Heels (19-8, 11-5 ACC)

- Tipoff: Monday, February 21st at 7:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
- How To Watch: ESPN
- How To Listen: WKRD 790 AM
- Betting Favorite: North Carolina -9.0 (KenPom)
- All-Time Series: North Carolina leads 17-7
- Last Meeting: North Carolina won 90-83 in overtime on Feb. 1, 2022 (KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.)

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville

F Dre Davis (6-6, 210, So.)
F Jae'Lyn Withers (6-8, 225, R-So.)
C Malik Williams (6-11, 245, Sr.)
G El Ellis (6-3, 180, Jr.)
G Jarrod West (5-11, 185, Gr.)

North Carolina

F Armando Bacot (6-10, 240, Jr.)
F Brady Manek (6-9, 230, Gr.)
G Leaky Black (6-8, 195, Sr.)
G Caleb Love (6-4, 195, So.)
G RJ Davis (6-0, 175, So.)

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Tar Heels, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of The Tape & Prediction: Louisville vs. UNC

Game Notes

Louisville

Louisville plays its first of three straight on the road as the Cardinals visit the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, N.C., on ESPN’s Big Monday. Louisville snapped a seven-game losing skid to beat Clemson 70-61 in the KFC Yum! Center last Saturday as the Cardinals held a 36-33 rebounding advantage, collected eight steals (most in seven games) and shot 45.6 percent from the field.
Malik Williams had his best outing in five games against Clemson with 12 points, five rebounds and two steals. It was his first start since Jan. 29. He has scored in double figures in five of his last seven games. Williams is fifth in the ACC in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and 35th in the nation in defensive rebounding (6.4 per game). He has made 37.5 percent of his three-pointers in ACC games (15-of-40).
Noah Locke needs 14 points for 1,200 in his career. He has 16 double figure scoring efforts this year, including three of the last four games.
Jae’Lyn Withers has averaged 9.3 points and 5.2 rebounds over the last nine games while shooting 47 percent from the field (34-73), scoring nine or more points in six of those eight (four of the last five; averaging 12.2 ppg in the last five). He tied his career scoring high of 20 points at Notre Dame. He averaged 4.2 points in the first 17 games of the season.
El Ellis has scored in double figures in the last six games, including a career-high 25 in the Feb. 1 meeting against North Carolina. He is averaging 11.7 points per game over the last 13 games -- top for the Cardinals in that stretch while hitting 23-of-60 threes (.383), including 15.7 ppg in the last six.
Jarrod West handed out his 500th career assist vs. Clemson. West is fourth in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio (2.41) and is fourth in the nation in career steals among active players with 289.
Louisville has averaged just 9.6 turnovers over its last 10 games. The Cardinals have committed single-digit turnovers in five of its last eight games, and six of the last 10, including eight turnovers vs. Clemson in its last game.

North Carolina

Carolina is one win shy of 20 for the season. The Tar Heels have won 20 or more games 61 times.
Carolina is tied with Miami for third in the ACC at 11-5, two games behind Duke and a game behind Notre Dame.
Caleb Love had game highs in points (21) and assists (7), Armando Bacot registered his 20th double-double this season with 12 points and 15 rebounds and added five blocks in the win at Virginia Tech.
Carolina held the Hokies to 57 points, Tech’s fewest at home all season. Tech came into the game second in the nation in three-point percentage, but the Tar Heels limited the Hokies to five of 26 from beyond the arc, a season-low 19.2%.
Bacot’s 15 rebounds in Blacksburg increased his average in ACC games to 14.0 per game. That is the highest in league play since Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan averaged 14.9 in 1996-97.
The Tar Heels are 14-1 this season when scoring more points off turnovers and 5-7 when the opponents score more points off turnovers. The only loss was last Wednesday against Pittsburgh when the Tar Heels scored 24 points off Pitt turnovers, while the Panthers scored 22. However, Pitt scored 20 of their 22 points off turnovers in the first half as the Panthers built a 17-point lead.
Turnovers and the opponents cashing in on those errors have been a major storyline this season. Carolina has turned the ball over 12.4 times per game in its eight losses, which have led to 166 points, an average of 20.8 points per game.
Miami turned UNC’s miscues into 30 points in a 28-point Hurricane victory in Coral Gables. In seven of the eight losses the opponents have scored at least 19 points off turnovers (Duke scored the fewest with 24 points).
Carolina has won six times this season when it allowed fewer than 60 points (53 by UNC Asheville, 51 by Michigan, 50 by App State, 58 by Virginia, 47 by Boston College and 57 by Virginia Tech in Blacksburg).
Carolina is 9-0 this season when shooting 50% (under Roy Williams UNC was 220-9 when shooting 50% from the floor).
The Tar Heels are 25th nationally in KenPom’s offensive efficiency, scoring 113.3 points per 100 possessions. That is fifth in the ACC behind Duke (10th), Syracuse (17th), Miami (20th) and Virginia Tech (23rd).
Carolina is allowing 88.0 points in its eight losses and just 65.8 in its 19 victories.
The Tar Heels are minus 10 in assist-turnovers (89 assists/99 turnovers) in the eight losses, while the opponents are plus 66 (143 assists/77 turnovers).

(Photo of Caleb Love, El Ellis: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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