Louisville kicks off their crucial 5-game stretch tonight against visiting No. 14 North Carolina at 8:15pm on ESPN. The Cardinals currently sit as 1-point favorites.
North Carolina is led by Joel Berry, Theo Pinson, and Luke Maye. All three players had major roles in last year’s title run for UNC so experience definitely favors the Tar Heels. UNC also rebounds and passes the ball well. Louisville will have to crash the boards and disrupt some passing lanes in order to knock off the Tar Heels.
Louisville enters the last 5 games of their schedule needing to go 3-2. Three of the next 5 games come against highly ranked opponents in UNC, at Duke, and Virginia. Louisville needs to win one of those three and tonight’s game seems to be the most winnable. If the Cards win tonight, 4-1 is possible if they can knock off Duke or Virginia. If the Cards lose, they’ll have two more chances to grab a marquee victory, but they’ll likely be more difficult than tonight. The Cards get it done tonight and take a big step forward.
Louisville 80 – North Carolina 75
Go Cards!
