UNC Women’s Hoops Schedule Breakdown: Louisville

The Tar Heels will be taking on preseason-ranked No. 20 Louisville Cardinals.

North Carolina head coacgh Courtney Banghart with players Reniya Kelly and Indya Nivar at the ACC Tipoff on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. | Nell Redmond/theACC.com

Two teams, both ranked in the Top 25 in the first release of the AP Poll, the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Louisville Cardinals, will be squaring off Sunday, December 14, at 4 p.m. in Chapel Hill.

North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart talks with her team during practice before their Sweet 16 matchup with Duke at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday, March 27, 2025. | Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UNC opens ACC play for the 2025-2026 season that day, following a matchup against Boston University. North Carolina is ranked No. 11, while Louisville is No. 20.

All time, UNC is 4-9 against the Cardinals — holding a record of 3-3 at home and 1-5 in on the road. However, the Tar Heels are riding a two-game winning streak, which could be extended if all things pan out the way they want it once the contest arrives. Earlier this year, North Carolina won 79-75 on February 23 on the road.

North Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart at the 2025 ACC Tipoff | Nell Redmond/theACC.com

In that game, UNC had four players in double figures. Freshman Lanie Grant and then-junior Trayanna Crisp (now with Mississippi State) scored 19 points apiece. Sophomore Reniya Kelly led the way with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Then-graduate student Lexi Donarski followed with 13 points, two rebounds, and made all five of her field goals, including two three-pointers. As a team, North Carolina went 28-57 from the field goal range and 10-22 from beyond the arc and 13-16 from the charity stripe.

Head coach Courtney Banghart at the 2025 ACC Tipoff | Nell Redmond/theACC.com

Louisville's 2024-2026 Season

Head coach Jeff Walz is entering his 19th season with the Louisville Cardinals, holding a record of 487-146. The Fort Thomas, Kentucky native led the Cardinals to a 22-11 record last season, boasting a 13-5 win-loss ratio in ACC play. Walz's team went 9-4 at home, 10-4 on the road and 3-3 on neutral courts.

The Cardinals found wins against Memphis, Boston College, Miami, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Virginia, SMU, California and others. But fell to the hands of UCLA, Kentucky, Oklahoma, UConn, NC State, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, plus more.

Oct 7, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Louisville head coach Jeff Walz answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

Jayda Curry, Tajiannna Roberts and Olivia Cochran led in the scoring department for Louisville last season. Curry averaged 14.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals, while shooting 39.7 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from the three-point line. Roberts had 12.8 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals.

Cochran added 10.4 points, 6.7 rebounds (the most on the team), and 1.2 assists, shooting 46 percent from the field, but struggled from behind the three-point line, mustering a percentage of 19 percent.

Louisville Cardinals head coach Jeff Walz calls out to his team during their game against the Grambling Lady Tigers on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. | Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UNC-Louisville will be an interesting game for now-Tar Heel Nyla Harris, who will be facing off her former team and head coach.

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