Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between N. Carolina and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Louisville 46-29.

N. Carolina entered the matchup having won six straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it seven, or will Louisville step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.

Who’s Playing

Louisville Cardinals @ N. Carolina Tar Heels

Current Records: Louisville 6-10, N. Carolina 13-3

How To Watch

What to Know

Louisville has quite the challenge ahead of them as they’re expected to be blown off the court. The Louisville Cardinals and the N. Carolina Tar Heels will face off in an ACC battle at 9:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Dean E. Smith Center. Louisville has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they’ve increased their point totals each of their last three games.

Louisville pushed their score all the way to 83 on Saturday, but even that wasn’t enough to win. They took a 89-83 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wolfpack. Louisville has not had much luck with North Carolina State recently, as the team’s come up short the last two times they’ve met.

Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Curtis Williams, who scored 15 points along with five rebounds. Mike James was another key contributor, scoring 20 points along with five rebounds.

Meanwhile, N. Carolina came tearing into Saturday’s contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.6 points) and they left with even more momentum. They took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 103-67 victory over the Orange. The result was nothing new for N. Carolina, who have now won five games by 22 points or more so far this season.

N. Carolina’s victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was RJ Davis, who scored 22 points along with five steals. Another player making a difference was Armando Bacot, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Cardinals’ loss was their third straight at home, which bumped their record down to 6-10. That poor showing can’t be blamed on the team’s offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 76.3 points per game. As for the Tar Heels, they have been performing well recently as they’ve won nine of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season.

This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Louisville have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 36.2 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like N. Carolina struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 41.1 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

While only N. Carolina took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Looking forward, the game looks promising for N. Carolina, as the team is favored by a full 21 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they’ve covered the spread the last six times they’ve played.

Odds

N. Carolina is a big 21-point favorite against Louisville, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 21-point spread, and stayed right there.

The over/under is set at 155.5 points.

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Series History

N. Carolina has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Louisville.

• Jan 14, 2023 – N. Carolina 80 vs. Louisville 59
• Feb 21, 2022 – N. Carolina 70 vs. Louisville 63
• Feb 01, 2022 – N. Carolina 90 vs. Louisville 83
• Feb 20, 2021 – N. Carolina 99 vs. Louisville 54
• Feb 22, 2020 – Louisville 72 vs. N. Carolina 55
• Mar 14, 2019 – N. Carolina 83 vs. Louisville 70
• Feb 02, 2019 – N. Carolina 79 vs. Louisville 69
• Jan 12, 2019 – Louisville 83 vs. N. Carolina 62
• Feb 17, 2018 – N. Carolina 93 vs. Louisville 76
• Feb 22, 2017 – N. Carolina 74 vs. Louisville 63