Three weeks after suffering the biggest home loss in 16 years under head coach Roy Williams, the 9th-ranked UNC men’s basketball team finally got its revenge Saturday afternoon—as the Tar Heels went on the road and took out the No. 15 Louisville Cardinals by a score of 79-69.
Right from the start, it was clear that UNC (17-4, 7-1 ACC) had a little extra pep in its step against the Cardinals (16-6, 7-2 ACC).
The Tar Heels looked like a team anxious to erase the 21-point embarrassment they suffered back on Jan. 12, and it showed in a big way as they led by as many as 19 in the first half.
Senior forward Luke Maye led the way with a double-double consisting of 20 points and 11 rebounds, while every Tar Heel starter except freshman point guard Coby White scored in double figures. Cameron Johnson added a double-double of his own with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Senior forward Luke Maye led UNC with 20 points and 11 rebounds in the win over No. 15 Louisville on Saturday. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
UNC as a team also seemed to respond well to their coach’s plea for better rebounding. After being outrebounded 40-31 in the first matchup between these two teams, the Tar Heels hit the glass hard on Saturday and won the battle this time by a margin of 49-32.
Not only that, UNC turned the ball over just 10 times and gave Louisville only nine attempts from the free throw line—showing it has made great strides in areas that have been problems for much of the season.
As a result, Coach Williams and his team have now won five straight games and pulled into a tie at the top of the ACC standings alongside Duke and Virginia with a conference record of 7-1.
“Rebounding, 49-32, I’ve always thought that was really big,” Williams told reporters afterwards. “But probably the most important factor in the game was we only had two turnovers in the whole second half. And I knew they would come back at us, but we only turned it over twice.”
Another bright spot for UNC in the game was the fact that it was able to win ugly in a hostile environment.
Despite being red-hot from three-point range in recent victories, the Tar Heels hit only six of their 24 tries from beyond the arc on Saturday. Second chance points and solid defense were more essential to the win than relying on the long-distance shooting, which is something Williams has wanted to see from his team all year long—preaching about it at length following the loss to Louisville last month.
At this point, however, it is by no means a stretch to say that the Tar Heels are clicking on all cylinders and playing as well as they have all season. That should provide plenty of hope entering the second half of the conference season, with UNC still in contention for the league crown.
But for one day at least, it’s understandable for the team to enjoy the sweet taste of revenge.
“We’ve worked hard since then, and I think I’ve got a competitive group that got their tails beat as badly as they can be beaten,” Williams said. “And I think they bounced back and were more aware, had greater effort and used their brain and their heart both. We were much better in every phase of the game and Louisville was probably not as good.”
Up Next:
Another rematch awaits the Tar Heels in their next game, as they return home to the Smith Center to host the NC State Wolfpack on Tuesday. That game is set to begin at 8 p.m.
Game Notes:
- UNC was once again without sophomore forward Sterling Manley, who continues to battle knee soreness. Additionally, the Tar Heels were also missing freshman guard Leaky Black–who sprained his left ankle in UNC’s win over Georgia Tech this past Tuesday.
- Coby White finished with eight points for the Tar Heels, but made only three of his 14 shots from the floor.
- Louisville forward Stephen Enoch, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in the Cardinals’ win over UNC last month, was held scoreless on Saturday.
Cover photo via Associated Press
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