Raleigh News & Observer Logo

UNC vs. Louisville: How to watch and what to know | Raleigh News & Observer

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • Support
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Sponsorships
    • Stay connected
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Social Media Directory
    • N&O Store
    • Buy Photos
    • Databases
    • Archives
    • Newsletters

    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Health
    • Local
    • North Carolina
    • Nation/World
    • Science
    • Thumbs Up
    • Traffic
    • Weather
    • Weird News
    • All News
    • Counties
    • Durham County
    • Johnston County
    • Orange County
    • Wake County
    • All Sports
    • Baseball
    • Canes
    • College
    • Columns & Blogs
    • High Schools
    • NASCAR & Auto Racing
    • NBA
    • NFL
    • NHL
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Panthers
    • Soccer
    • Schools
    • Duke
    • East Carolina
    • NC State
    • North Carolina
    • All Politics
    • The North Carolina Influencer Series
    • State Politics
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • PolitiFact
    • PolitiFact NC
    • Rob Christensen
    • Under the Dome
    • All Business
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Health Care
    • Personal Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Shop Talk
    • Stocks Center
    • Technology
    • All Living
    • Video Now
    • Best-Kept Secrets
    • Blogs
    • Celebrations
    • Comics
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Food
    • Games and Puzzles
    • Home and Garden
    • Horoscopes
    • Mouthful
    • Past Times
    • Pets
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Video Now
    • Arts News
    • ArtsNow
    • Books
    • Contests
    • Dining
    • Entertainment
    • Games
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Television
    • On the Beat
    • Happiness is a Warm TV
    • All Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Dwane Powell
    • Editorials
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Letters
    • Opinion Shop Blog
    • Other Views
    • Submit a Letter
  • Obituaries

    • Advertise with us
    • Place Ad
    • Apartments
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Jobs
    • Legals
    • Obits/In Memoriams
    • Weddings
    • Today's Daily Deal
    • Special Sections
    • Today's Circulars
    • Rewards
    • Photo Store
  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Legals

North Carolina

UNC vs. Louisville: How to watch and what to know

No. 7 Louisville at No. 8 North Carolina

When: 9 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.

TV/Radio: ESPN (Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas). Internet live-stream: WatchESPN app. Radio: 106.1-WTKK; SiriusXM channel 84.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

Projected starting lineups

North Carolina (23-5, 11-3 ACC)

G Joel Berry 14.6 ppg, 4 apg

G Theo Pinson 7.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg

F Justin Jackson 18.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg

F Isaiah Hicks 12.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg

F Kennedy Meeks 12.6 ppg, 9.1 rpg

Louisville (22-5, 10-4)

G Quentin Snider 12.5 ppg, 4.1 apg

G Donovan Mitchell 15.6, 4.7 rpg

F Deng Adel 11.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg

F Jaylen Johnson 8.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg

C Mangok Mathiang 7 ppg, 6.1 rpg

Storylines

▪ A playoff game for the ACC regular season championship

The Tar Heels remain in first place in the ACC, with a one-game lead over Louisville and Duke and a two-game lead – in the loss column – over Florida State and Notre Dame. This essentially amounts to a playoff game for the ACC regular season championship. A victory brings UNC one victory closer to clinching at least a share of the regular season title. A Louisville win, meanwhile, keeps alive the Cardinals’ chances – and creates a three-way tie (in the loss column) atop of the league standings. Some major ACC tournament seeding implications are in play here, as well.

▪ Top-five offense vs. a top-five defense

UNC has been a juggernaut on offense throughout most of the season, and Justin Jackson, the junior wing forward, seems to be gaining momentum as we approach March. Louisville, meanwhile, has one of the best defenses in the country. The Tar Heels are among the five most efficient offensive teams nationally, according to kenpom.com, and the same is true for Louisville defensively. UNC must be prepared to handle the Cardinals’ defensive pressure, and particularly the press, which is a staple of Rick Pitino-coached teams. UNC does love to run, though – and there should be opportunities to do so against Louisville. This will be a vastly different kind of game than the one UNC just played against Virginia.

▪ Scouting Louisville: The Cardinals aren’t averse to running and playing at a faster pace, and they can be quite efficient offensively – as they were during a 94-90 victory against Virginia Tech on Saturday. Louisville’s defense, though, forces teams to take a lot of time off of the shot clock. Opponents are averaging 18.5 seconds per possession, according to kenpom.com, and only four teams are forcing opposing offenses to use more time. Defensively, this is a difficult match-up for UNC (and for anyone). Quentin Snider and Donovan Mitchell comprise as good of a backcourt as there is in the ACC. On the inside Mangok Mathiang and Anas Mahmoud are two of the best shot-blockers in college basketball, and Louisville ranks among the top 10 nationally blocked shot percentage.

Andrew Carter

  Comments  

Videos

UNC’s Roy Williams reacts to rumor that former President Obama might attend Duke-Carolina game

UNC’s Roy Williams on recruiting and now facing Duke’s Zion Williamson

View More Video

Trending Stories

What to Watch on Sunday: An all-star tribute to Elvis Presley’s ’68 Comeback Special

February 17, 2019 07:00 AM

Bladen County operative ‘told us what we were to say’ at hearing, worker testifies

February 18, 2019 06:00 AM

How does UNC plan to defend Duke’s Zion Williamson? Roy Williams and players weigh-in.

February 18, 2019 05:08 PM

Bunch of jerks? Not the Hurricanes having fun

February 17, 2019 09:55 AM

Operative at center of NC election fraud hearing won’t testify

February 18, 2019 02:16 PM

Read Next

North Carolina will be without Sterling Manley for Duke game, Roy Williams says

Sports

North Carolina will be without Sterling Manley for Duke game, Roy Williams says

By Jonathan M. Alexander

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 18, 2019 05:39 PM

The UNC Tar Heels will play the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019, but Sterling Manley will not play.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE NORTH CAROLINA

How does UNC plan to defend Duke’s Zion Williamson? Roy Williams and players weigh-in.

Sports

How does UNC plan to defend Duke’s Zion Williamson? Roy Williams and players weigh-in.

February 18, 2019 05:08 PM
UNC is best when knocking down 3’s, and against Wake Forest, the Tar Heels couldn’t miss

Sports

UNC is best when knocking down 3’s, and against Wake Forest, the Tar Heels couldn’t miss

February 16, 2019 05:24 PM
North Carolina destroys Wake Forest in Winston-Salem 95-57

Sports

North Carolina destroys Wake Forest in Winston-Salem 95-57

February 16, 2019 01:53 PM
Why UNC freshman Nassir Little did not return in the second half against Wake Forest

Sports

Why UNC freshman Nassir Little did not return in the second half against Wake Forest

February 16, 2019 11:55 AM
The other big Duke-Carolina game: Will the Daily Tar Heel or The Chronicle prevail?

Local

The other big Duke-Carolina game: Will the Daily Tar Heel or The Chronicle prevail?

February 15, 2019 07:16 PM
UNC will have two players out against Wake Forest, possibly three, depending on Nassir Little

Sports

UNC will have two players out against Wake Forest, possibly three, depending on Nassir Little

February 15, 2019 03:40 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Raleigh News & Observer App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Triangletoday.com
  • Legal Notices
Advertising
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Our Ads
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • N&O Store
  • N&O Photos
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Report News
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use


Back to Story