Cards Play First of Three Straight on the Road at North Carolina

Game Information
Site: Roy Williams Court at the Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C. (21,750)
Television: ESPN - Dan Shulman, play-by-play; Jay Bilas, analyst; Andraya Carter, reporter.
Radio: WKRD (790 AM; joined in progress on WHAS 840 AM) Paul Rogers, play-by-play; Jody Demling, analyst. (XM channel 383, SiriusXM App 973)
Also: Westwood One - Kevin Kugler, play-by-play; Perry Clark, analyst.
Series History: Louisville trails 7-17 (5-3 in Louisville, 1-4 in Chapel Hill, 1-10 neutral)
Last Meeting: North Carolina 90, UofL 83/OT (Feb. 1, 2022 at KFC Yum! Center)
UofL National Ranking: unranked in USA Today & Associated Press polls
Next UofL Game: Feb. 26 at Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, N.C., 7 p.m. ET (ACCN)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- 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 at 7:01 p.m. ET.

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. Noah Locke led UofL with 15 points in the victory, his 16th double figure scoring effort this year, including three of the last four games. He needs 14 points for 1,200 in his career.

In his first start since Jan. 29, 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).

North Carolina (19-8, 11-5 ACC), tied for third in the ACC standings, has won three of its last four games, including a 65-57 victory at Virginia Tech on Feb. 19 in its last outing as Caleb Love led the Tar Heels with 21 points and seven assists.

North Carolina leads the ACC in rebounding margin (+7.3, 14th in the nation). Forward Armando Bacot (16.1 ppg, 12.2 ppg.) is fourth in the nation with 20 double-doubles this season, including 12 points and 15 rebounds at Virginia Tech in his last game.

Louisville trails 7-17 in its series with North Carolina (1-4 in Chapel Hill), and the Cardinals are 4-8 against the Tar Heels since joining the ACC. In the last meeting on Feb. 1, Louisville fell 90-83 in overtime to North Carolina in the KFC Yum! Center as El Ellis led the Cardinals with a season-high 25 points off the bench -- all in the second half and overtime -- and Matt Cross produced his first double-double with 13 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and a career-best three steals for UofL. The Cardinals buried a season-high 15 three-pointers in the game in 35 attempts (.429).

Notes

Four meetings between Louisville and North Carolina have come in the NCAA Tournament, including twice in regional finals.
Louisville used its 14th different starting lineup against Clemson on Saturday.
Louisville's 34 ACC road wins in its eighth year in the league is the fourth-most in the ACC in that period.
Louisville is 9-2 this season when outrebounding its opponent, 11-1 when shooting better from the field than the opposition, 9-2 when shooting more free throws than its opponent, and 11-3 when leading at halftime -- all of which were accomplished in its last game against Clemson.
Louisville does not have a double-figure scorer on its team, but has 10 players averaging between 4.8 and 9.7 points per game. The last time UofL finished the season without a double figure scorer was 1943-44.
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.

Cards Play First of Three Straight on the Road at North Carolina

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Players Mentioned

Matt Cross

El Ellis

Noah Locke

Jarrod West

Malik Williams

Jae'Lyn Withers

University of Louisville Athletics