North Carolina @ Louisville preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 12, 2019 ) Louisville 83, North Carolina 62

Two of the ACC’s best do battle on Saturday afternoon as No. 10 North Carolina visits No. 16 Louisville. The Tar Heels will be looking for revenge after the Cardinals stunned them with a dominating 83-62 win in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Jan. 12.

Louisville dominated all aspects of the game three weeks ago in handing Tar Heels their worst home loss under coach Roy Williams. Cardinals center Steven Enoch had a season-high 17 off the bench in that win, while forwards Dwayne Sutton and Jordan Nwora also chipped in with 17. That victory ignited a six-game winning streak for Louisville, with its most recent victory coming in an 82-54 blowout at Wake Forest on Wednesday. North Carolina also hasn’t lost since being humbled by the Cardinals as it finds itself on a four-game winning streak after crushing Georgia Tech 77-54 on Tuesday.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (16-4, 6-1 ACC): Senior guard Cameron Johnson scored a game-high 22 on 8-of-10 shooting Tuesday, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Freshman guard Coby White added 19 while hitting five from downtown as the Tar Heels have shot 48.1 percent overall and 47.1 percent beyond the arc in their last two. There is still plenty to work on for North Carolina, however, as Williams pointed out that his team turned the ball over eight times in the first half and had just seven offensive rebounds off 32 missed shots.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (16-5, 7-1): Nwora, a 6-8 sophomore, had a game-high 20 on 8-of-15 shooting against the Demon Deacons, including 4-of-6 from long range, while chipping in with six rebounds. Sutton equaled his season high with 17 while adding 10 rebounds, while Malik Williams (13) and reserve guard Ryan McMahon (12) also reached double figures. The Cardinals came out on fire and built a 20-point lead in less than 15 minutes en route to shooting 52 percent on the evening.

TIP-INS

1. North Carolina leads the all-time series 13-6, but the Cardinals are 4-1 all-time at home against the Tar Heels.

2. The Cardinals have allowed 54 or fewer points in three of their last four games.

3. The Tar Heels are third in the nation in scoring (87.6 points) and second in the country in assists per game (19.8).

PREDICTION: North Carolina 80, Louisville 77