The No. 18 North Carolina men’s basketball team rallied from a 13-point second half deficit to defeat No. 5 Louisville, 72-71, to improve to 12-4 overall and 2-1 in the ACC Saturday afternoon in the Smith Center.

With the loss, the Cardinals dropped to 14-2 on the season and 2-1 in conference action.

As advertised, it was a spirited and hotly-contested game from the very beginning, but Paige’s floater with nine seconds remaining sunk through the nets for the Tar Heels and sent the passionate Dean Dome crowd into a frenzy.

Nate Britt gets low on defense (Todd Melet)

Nate Britt gets low on defense (Todd Melet)

“That was a little different than five or six nights ago. You’ve heard me say it a thousand times. Everything looks better when the ball goes in the basket,” UNC head coach Roy Williams says.

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino calls the game ‘one of the toughest losses he’s ever been a part of.’

“That’s obviously as bad a loss as we’ve had in my time, in fourteen years, that’s about as tough a loss as I’ve had. Our guys played great all night,” Pitino says.

UNC forward Brice Johnson showing some emotion (Todd Melet)

UNC forward Brice Johnson showing some emotion (Todd Melet)

Kennedy Meeks led the scoring charge for Carolina with 13 points and six rebounds, but Brice Johnson, J.P. Tokoto and Paige all tallied in double figures for the Tar Heels.

As for the Cardinals, Player of the Year candidate Montrezl Harrell was largely kept in check by an eager and determined UNC defense. It was sophomore guard Terry Rozier who stole the show, putting up 25 points to lead all scorers.

It was clear from the outset that the Tar Heels weren’t going to start off slow in this contest. The urgency was there on the floor and in the stands. There was a palpable sense of intensity inside the Dean Dome.

A couple of electrifying dunks from Johnson and Tokoto only added to the energy. Not to mention, the defensive effort on both sides of the floor was tremendous.

***Click here for the full game photo gallery***

At the 15:19 mark in the first half, UNC held a 10-8 lead over ACC newcomer Louisville.

But the normally offensively-challenged Cardinals would respond, knocking down shots at a 70-percent clip to surge to their own 20-14 lead with 12:38 on the first half clock.

Paige finally got on the board with a drained shot from behind the arc. Meanwhile, the scrappiness of the game was being put on full display with both teams taking to the floor for any loose balls.

The atmosphere was electric in the student section (Todd Melet)

The atmosphere was electric in the student section (Todd Melet)

With 7:34 remaining in the first half, the Tar Heels trailed 27-25.

A Nate Britt three-pointer capped a pivotal 16-5 UNC run that gave the home team a 32-27 edge with 3:36 to play before halftime. But not to be outdone, Louisville’s Harrell answered with an emphatic dunk.

At intermission, the Tar Heels and Cardinals were all locked up at 34.

A hot start to the final 20 minutes of play that saw Louisville make seven out of its first eight shots, gave the Cardinals a 49-40 advantage. The crowd grew silent.

Rick Pitino instructs Quentin Snider (Todd Melet)

Rick Pitino instructs Quentin Snider (Todd Melet)

Paige was forced to leave the game and head into the locker room after an ankle turn that looked pretty serious. But a few minutes later, to the relief of the fans, the junior guard was plugged back into the contest.

With 7:30 remaining, the Cardinals held a 63-55 lead, and it felt like a bigger lead than that.

But UNC kept chipping away. A timely Tokoto steal and runout basket in transition closed the gap down to a mere five points with 5:20 to play.

The Dean Dome was at a fever pitch the rest of the way with both Hall of Fame coaches barking out orders from the sidelines with the game hanging in the balance.

Trailing 70-69, Louisville’s Rozier answered the bell with a smooth make, but it was ultimately the ‘tough little nut’ Paige that punctuated the victory for the home team, getting a tough floater to go with nine seconds on the clock.

When Louisville failed to score on a couple opportunities on the other end, the place erupted and the celebrations began. This one meant a lot to the Tar Heels, who experienced the other side of a nailbiter Monday night.

But the ACC grind continues on for UNC. Next up, a road challenge at rival N.C. State Wednesday night in PNC Arena.

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