Cardinals Pay Visit Wednesday to No. 4/3 North Carolina

Wednesday, January 17

Chapel Hill, NC

9 p.m.

University of Louisville

#4/3 North Carolina

Graphic promoting Louisville Basketball's game at North Carolina on Wednesday, January 17th.

Cardinals Pay Visit Wednesday to No. 4/3 North Carolina

January 16, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Louisville Game Notes VIDEO: Associate HC Danny Manning Previews UNC VIDEO: Brandon Huntley-Hatfield/Hercy Miller Previews UNC

By: Zach Greenwell

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Louisville men's basketball is set for a week-long road swing to The Tar Heel State, starting with a visit to North Carolina at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday in Chapel Hill, N.C. The game will air on ACC Network.

The Cardinals went 1-1 last week, beating Miami on the road before taking an 89-83 home loss to NC State on Saturday. North Carolina has won six games in a row, including a dominant 103-67 victory over Syracuse on Saturday. With five of the top six teams in the country losing last week, UNC surged to No. 4/3 in the rankings.

Louisville is 7-19 all-time against the Tar Heels, with a 1-5 record on the road. North Carolina has won four straight in the series.

GAME 17

Louisville (6-10, 1-4 ACC) at #4/3 North Carolina (13-3, 5-0 ACC)
January 17, 2024 | 9 p.m. CT
Dean E. Smith Center | Chapel Hill, N.C.

MEDIA INFO

Listen: Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9 FM & WGTK 970 AM flagship); Streaming (Paul Rogers, pxp | Bob Valvano, analysis)

Watch: ACC Network (Wes Durham, pxp | Dan Bonner, analysis)

Live Stats: North Carolina Stats

TOP STORYLINES

• Over the last three games, the Cardinals are 28-for-59 (48.7%) from 3-point range. Louisville is also averaging 14.0 assists per game over its last six outings after not tallying more than 13 assists in any of the first 10 games.

• In the last three games, redshirt sophomore Mike James is averaging 23.0 points per game, while shooting 61.1% from the field (22 of 36), 73.3% from 3-point range (11 of 15) and 77.8% from the free-throw line (14-18).

• Over the last seven games, junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield is averaging 14.7 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 62% from the field (37 of 60) and 74% from the free-throw line (28-38). After registering two double-doubles in the first 68 games of his career, he has four in his last seven games.

• Freshman guard/forward Curtis Williams is averaging 12.3 points off the bench over the last six games while making 17 of 38 3-pointers (44.7%). He was 5-for-18 from 3 (27.8%) over the first 10 games. After not reaching double figures in the first 10 games of his career, Williams has scored at least 11 points in five of the last six.

• UofL's Kenny Payne and UNC's Hubert Davis are two of 29 Division I head coaches in the country who were NBA Draft picks. Payne was selected 19th by the 76ers in 1989, while Davis was selected 20th by the Knicks in 1992.

• UNC forward Jae'Lyn Withers played three seasons for Louisville from 2020-23, appearing in 81 games with 64 starts. He was a team captain for UofL last season and an ACC All-Freshman Team selection in 2021.

HISTORY VS. NORTH CAROLINA (UofL trails 7-19)

Last Meeting: North Carolina 80, Louisville 59
Jan. 14, 2023 | Louisville, Ky.

Louisville men's basketball allowed North Carolina to control the boards and points off turnovers in an 80-59 loss at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Tar Heels outrebounded the Cardinals 40-31, and although Louisville committed just 14 turnovers, they converted into a 23-8 advantage for UNC off those miscues, as well as a 17-2 effort on the fast break.

Louisville built an early 15-7 lead with a 9-0 run, capped by two free throws from senior guard El Ellis at the 13:28 mark.

The Tar Heels eventually led by as much as 23 with 6:54 to go.

Armando Bacot and D'Marco Dunn paved the way for UNC with 14 points apiece, while Bacot also pulled down 16 rebounds. North Carolina finished with 11 steals.

Ellis paced Louisville with 22 points and four assists.