Louisville men’s basketball is set to host North Carolina at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center. The game, which is a White Out, will air on ESPN. The Cardinals are coming off a 83-70 loss at ACC-leading Clemson on Wednesday, while North Carolina is coming off a 65-58 loss at Virginia on Tuesday. Louisville has a 7-18 all-time record against North Carolina, including a 5-3 record at home, and the Tar Heels have won the last three meetings in the series.
One of the Cardinals’ strengths as a team is getting to the free-throw line. Louisville has shot at least 20 free throws in seven of the last eight games and over that span has shot 29 more total free throws than its opponents. Improving rebounding has also been a focus for the Cardinals since getting outrebounded 106-79 total in three losses to Lipscomb, NC State, and Kentucky, with just seven offensive rebounds per game. In three games since then, Louisville has outrebounded its three opponents 104-97 with an average of 13.7 offensive rebounds per outing.
The Cardinals are currently 15 games into a 16-game stretch that will see them face 12 teams in the top 85 of the KenPom rankings and 15 teams in the top 190. That stretch began in Maui with Arkansas and concludes on January 18 with Pittsburgh. From Maui through the end of the regular season, 19 of Louisville’s 28 opponents rank in the top 85 in KenPom, while 27 of them rank in the top 190 and 11 of them rank in the top 50.
Redshirt freshman guard/forward Mike James was named ACC Rookie of the Week on Monday. James averaged 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals across two games last week. He had a career-high 24 points and eight rebounds Saturday against Wake Forest and made 9 of 16 total 3-pointers during the week. James is the first Louisville freshman to score at least 17 points in three straight games since DeJuan Wheat did it in three straight games from December 29, 1993, to January 4, 1994. James has averaged 20 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 52% from both the field and the 3-point line over the last three games.
In addition, redshirt junior forward Jae’Lyn Withers has been playing well off the bench, averaging 10.7 points and 4.3 rebounds with seven 3s in the last three games. Senior guard El Ellis has also been playing well, averaging 19.6 points, 6.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.1 steals over the last eight games. Senior forward Sydney Curry has also been playing well, averaging 9.3 points and 7.3 rebounds over the last eight games while shooting 64% overall.
Overall, the Cardinals are looking to improve their record of 2-15 and 0-6 in the ACC as they face off against the Tar Heels on Saturday. The game is sure to be a tough matchup, but the Cardinals will be looking to make a statement on their home court.
