CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Kenny Payne has said often during his second season at the helm of the Louisville men’s basketball program that he doesn’t have the luxury of looking ahead.

“We have to prepare,” he said Monday, “for what’s right in front of us.”

Since Saturday’s 89-83 loss to N.C. State, what’s been right in front of the Cardinals is, in Payne’s words, “one of the most dominant teams in the country.”

U of L (6-10, 1-4 ACC) begins a two-game road trip tonight at No. 3 North Carolina (13-3, 5-0), which has won six in a row by an average margin of 21.5 points.

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The Tar Heels, who rank first in the conference, have outscored their opponents 491-362 during the winning streak. They’ve surpassed 100 points twice, most recently a 103-67 throttling of Syracuse on Saturday.

So, Louisville certainly can’t afford many of the lapses that have led to it ranking 230th out of 362 Division I teams on KenPom.com in terms of defensive efficiency.

“They’re probably one of the two or three best transition offenses in the country,” Payne said. “Even if you get back, their guards are so good, and they run so hard, they’re still going to try to attack you. So we got to get back, form a wall, be tight and not give up transition baskets. Because they play really, really fast.”

Here’s what you need to know to follow along from home:

Louisville basketball vs. North Carolina start time

U of L and North Carolina are scheduled to tip off at 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Dean E. Smith Center.

Louisville vs. UNC basketball betting odds, score prediction

Betting odds: Louisville is a 23-point underdog (-110) on DraftKings, which set the over-under at 155 points (-110).

Score prediction: KenPom gives the Cards a 2% chance of winning and projects a final score of 88-65 in North Carolina’s favor. Bart Torvik is also forecasting a Tar Heels victory (98%), with a projected final score of 91-66.

What channel is Louisville vs. North Carolina on today?

The game between U of L and UNC will air on the ACC Network (AT&T U-Verse 610; DirecTV 612; Dish 402; Spectrum 524 and 937).

Wes Durham (play-by-play) and Dan Bonner (analyst) will be on the call.

If you don’t have cable, you can access ACC Network through services such as ESPN+ (SUBSCRIBE). The game is also available to stream via fuboTV (FREE TRIAL) and YouTube TV (FREE TRIAL).

How to listen to Louisville vs. North Carolina on the radio

Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) will have the call on the Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9 FM and WGTK 970 AM in Louisville).

You can also listen online via GoCards.com.

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Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.