How North Carolina’s Top 3 Performances Downed Louisville

Monday night was the exact type of result and performance the North Carolina Tar Heels were looking for, as they defeated the Louisville Cardinals 77-74 at the Dean E. Smith Center.

With the win, North Carolina remained undefeated at home this season with a 16-0 record. Defeating Duke earlier this month was an impressive result, but the way the Tar Heels shot the ball and marginalized Louisville's potent offense provides a compelling argument that Monday night's outing was more impressive.

With all of that being said, here are North Carolina's standout players in the attention-grabbing win against the Cardinals.

Seth Trimble

Stat line: 30 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal

Without Caleb Wilson, and for a shorter stint without Henri Veesaar, the Tar Heels have been desperate for someone to step up, specifically Trimble, who is a senior and the only player on the roster who has played more than two seasons in the rotation.

Trimble took initiative against an in-rhythm Louisville team, jumping out of the gates with four straight made shots. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard played to his strengths, driving downhill and applying pressure on the Cardinals' defense relentlessly.

The senior guard shot 11-of-16 from the field, including 1-of-3 from beyond the arc. Similar to Saturday's matchup against Syracuse, Trimble was instrumental in North Carolina's second-half surge, which resulted in a 16-point lead that was nearly squandered at the end of the game. Nevertheless, Trimble was exceptional on Monday night and deserves a ton of credit for carrying the Tar Heels in a monumental ACC contest.

Henri Veesaar

Stat line: 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal

The Arizona transfer has compiled five rebounds over the last two games, which is a surprising development during that span, but Veesaar has also averaged 15.5 points while shooting 15-of-25 during that span.

Veesaar took a backseat to Trimble, which is not the worst thing for North Carolina, as it is not as dependent on Veesaar and Wilson as it was earlier in the season. That is evident in the team's 3-1 record without Wilson in the lineup.

Regardless, the 6-foot-11, 224-pound center was efficient again, shooting 6-of-12 from the field, and altering countless shots at the rim. The Tar Heels will continue to lean on Veesaar, especially in the next two games before Wilson’s expected return against Duke on March 7.

Luka Bogavac

Stat line: 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist

As long as Bogavac is shooting efficiently from the field and not turning the ball over, the overseas transfer is a legitimate weapon for North Carolina.

That was the case on Monday night, as Bogavac shot 5-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-5 from three-point range, and committed zero turnovers. Bogavac has been steady over the last nine games, averaging more than 10 points per game while shooting over 40 percent from the field during that stretch.

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