Louisville vs. North Carolina: Game Preview, Prediction
By Tim Letcher
@TimLetcher
Jamie Rhodes, USA TODAY SPORTS
The Louisville Cardinals visit the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday in an ACC showdown.
This game is extremely important for North Carolina because the Tar Heels lost, at home, to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday. If UNC loses a second consecutive conference home game, it could very well take them out of the race, especially considering their upcoming schedule.
North Carolina is 11-4 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. After struggling early in the year, Roy Williams and his team appeared to be on the right track until the loss to Notre Dame earlier this week.
All-American guard Marcus Paige leads the Tar Heels in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game. Big man Kennedy Meeks scores 12.7 points per contest, while Brice Johnson posts 11.3 points per outing.
Louisville is 14-1 this season, with the only loss coming to the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats in the Derby City. The Cardinals are 2-0 in the ACC already this season and figure to contend for the conference title in their first year in the league.
Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino has a talented foursome leading his team. Guard Terry Rozier leads the team in scoring at 17.0 points per contest. National player of the year candidate Montrezl Harrell averages 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per outing. Chris Jones (12.8 points per game) and Wayne Blackshear (12.5 ppg) are the other double figure scorers. Those four players account for 67 percent of Louisville’s scoring.
North Carolina simply cannot lose this game and still have hopes of an ACC title. However, the Tar Heels are not as talented as Louisville and the Cardinals’ style of play could hurt the Heels if they aren’t hitting shots. Since the game is in Chapel Hill, the desperate Heels get the nod.
Final score prediction: North Carolina 76, Louisville 75
Tim Letcher is a contributing writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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