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UNC vs. Louisville Prediction, Game Preview
UNC vs. Louisville prediction and game preview. The Tar Heels are looking to win their third straight game, while the Cardinals are seeking to claim their seventh victory in their last eight tries.
February 21, 2017
UNC vs. Louisville prediction and game preview. The Cardinals try to tie the Tar Heels atop the ACC standings with a victory in Chapel Hill on Wendesday night.
UNC vs. Louisville Game Preview
When: Wednesday, Feb. 22 – 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Roy Williams and the No. 8 Tar Heels (23-5, 11-3 ACC) sit atop the ACC standings as we near the end of the regular season. UNC is coming off of a very strong home performance against Virginia last Saturday night, as it made Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers uncomfortable both offensively and defensively. Justin Jackson scored 20 points in the 65-41 win, holding the Cavaliers to 27.8 percent shooting from the field.
Meanwhile, the No. 7 Cardinals (22-5, 10-4) are tied with Duke in the ACC, just one game behind the Tar Heels. Rick Pitino’s squad is coming off of the school’s 1,800th victory, a 94-90 home win over Buzz Williams and Virginia Tech. Cardinals sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points in the victory.
When these teams met last February in Louisville, Cardinals guard Damion Lee scored 24 points to help snap UNC’s 12-game win streak. Louisville edged the Tar Heels on the boards, 41-39, in the win.
UNC Wins If …
… The Tar Heels get their typical offensive effort. UNC has scored 80 points or more in 11 of its 14 league games, which isn’t hard to believe when looking at the team’s collection of talent. But what makes this team even more difficult to contain is its ability to grab offensive rebounds, which leads to second-chance opportunities. UNC has good size and a frontcourt that can cause a lot of problems.
UNC will need to keep Louisville’s 6-foot-9 forward Jaylen Johnson off of the glass. He is the Cardinals’ best rebounder, ranking No. 22 in the nation at defensive rebounding percentage, and his teammates are capable of chipping in as well. But he needs to lead the way. For a UNC team that excels in the transition game as well, Louisville cannot afford to let UNC get easy put-backs.
Louisville Wins If …
… The Cardinals get another stellar performance from Mitchell, who connected on his first six shots (including three 3-pointers) en route to an 8-of-13 night from the field (and 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc) in the win over the Hokies. Louisville shot 51.5 percent from the field, including 12-of-22 from downtown. If the Cards are sharp shooters early against UNC, it can make for a back-and-forth close 40-minute affair.
Louisville, though, needs to bounce back defensively and get a little stingier. In the win against VT, the Cards allowed a Yum! Center record 90 points. UNC has plenty of scoring options, and the expectation is that this will be a high-scoring affair. But getting key defensive stops late could be the difference for a club that prides itself on defending.
Matchup To Watch
Mitchell vs. Joel Berry II
Louisville has played some very close games as of late, and this one is likely to go down to the wire. Pitino and Co. need Mitchell, who has the length advantage, to be at his defensive best against UNC’s Berry, who is the quarterback of the offense.
Betting Odds
Spread: UNC -4.5
Over/Under: No line as of post
UNC vs. Louisville Prediction
The Cardinals will do their best to put forth a better defensive effort than they managed their last time out against VT, which shot 59.2 percent from the field. The problem is that UNC has too many weapons, so the Tar Heels will continue on their winning ways despite a strong effort from Mitchell, Quentin Snider, Deng Adel and Co.
UNC vs. Louisville final score prediction: UNC 78, Louisville 72
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