North Carolina @ Louisville preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 14, 2019 ) Louisville 70, North Carolina 83

Locked in a three-way duel with Duke and Florida State for the ACC regular-season championship, Louisville can't afford to misstep against struggling North Carolina on Saturday. First-time starters David Johnson and Malik Williams provided a big lift in a rout of Syracuse and hope to help the 11th-ranked Cardinals keep the momentum flowing going forward.

Johnson, a 6-5 freshman, scored just three points in 24 minutes in the 90-66 win over Syracuse Wednesday but had seven assists against no turnovers, while junior Williams had 14 points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes. "(Johnson's) our best playmaker, so that was a change that we've been contemplating for a while. And, you know, Malik's our biggest energy giver. He's our best defensive player. He's a talker," coach Chris Mack said of the two, who will start against the Tar Heels. North Carolina has lost six straight games - including four by one possession - and are assured of a losing record in league play for the first time since 2009-10. Notre Dame sophomore Nate Laszewski swished a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1.8 seconds remaining to drop the Tar Heels 77-76 on Monday.

TIME: 4 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (10-16, 3-12 ACC): Cole Anthony (19.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists) and Garrison Brooks (15.2 points, 8.5 rebounds) led the Tar Heels with 23 and 22 points, respectively, against the Irish. Anthony, a freshman who missed 11 games with a knee injury, is averaging 20.2 points on 35 percent shooting in six games since his return. The Tar Heels lead the ACC in conference games in offensive rebound percentage (35.1) but are 15th in 3-point percentage (28.9) and 11th in turnover percentage (19.2).

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (22-5, 13-3): Johnson has 15 assists without a turnover in his last two games and has averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals over the last 11 contests. Dwayne Sutton has averaged 14.3 points and 8.3 rebounds over the last three games while connecting on 56 percent from the field, including 5-of-12 beyond the arc. The Cardinals lead the ACC in conference games in 3-point percentage (40.1) but are 14th in 2-pointers (46.9).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. North Carolina leads the all-time series 15-6, including 4-2 in Louisville. In the last meeting, the Tar Heels beat the Cardinals 83-70 in last year's ACC quarterfinals.

2. Louisville's 13-3 ACC start is its best in its six years in the conference and its best in any league since the Cardinals won the 2014 American Athletic Conference title with a 15-3 record.

3. Brooks has scored at least 22 points in his last two games and has seven 20-point efforts for the season.

PREDICTION: Louisville 81, North Carolina 65