No. 14 UNC wins at Louisville for the first time, extends five-game ACC streak

Even for a program that has won six national championships, there's always a first time for everything.

After going winless in the program’s last four attempts at Louisville, the No. 14 North Carolina men’s basketball team secured its first road victory ever against the Cardinals. The team utilized the foundation of an early 10-0 first half run and a dominant rebounding performance to seize a 93-76 win on Saturday night, its fifth straight victory.

UNC (21-7, 10-5 ACC) hit the ground running against Louisville (18-9, 8-6 ACC) in the first half with red-hot shooting from the outside. The Tar Heels’ offense was in sync from the beginning, starting 4-4 from the field in the opening 2:03 of play, resulting in an early 10-3 lead.

UNC’s quick and efficient ball movement generated several open looks for the Tar Heels’ outside shooters, leading to a 6-8 start on 3-pointers. UNC’s fast pace caught the opposition off guard. Louisville committed numerous unforced turnovers and couldn't contain UNC's offense. The Tar Heels eventually built a 40-21 cushion, their largest of the game.

The Cardinals, however, would not give up without a fight, as junior forward Deng Adel sparked a mini resurgence for his team, minimizing the gap to just a nine-point UNC advantage heading into halftime.

In the second half, it was more of the same for UNC. Louisville was finally beginning to initiate some offense through Adel’s 20 points on 8-12 shooting. But outside of an 18-point, 12-rebound performance from Ray Spalding, the other Cardinals failed to deliver, and UNC’s domination on the boards was simply too much to bear. 

Not only did the Tar Heels outrebound Louisville 44-32, but on multiple occasions when the Cardinals desperately needed a defensive stop, the Tar Heels grabbed crucial offensive rebounds to halt any momentum. The offensive boards led to a 22-6 advantage on second-chance points. North Carolina also assisted on 20 of 36 made field goals.

UNC was led by the dynamic duo of seniors Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson, who combined for a total of 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. 

Berry, who shot 4-16 from the 3-point line in the previous three games, finally found his shooting stroke against the Cardinals, hitting five of 11 from behind the arc. Junior Luke Maye struggled early on, scoring just two points on 1-5 shooting in the first half.

Despite his struggles though, the forward made up for it with his commanding presence on the glass, even outmuscling 7-foot Anas Mahmoud and 6-foot-10 Spalding on various possessions. Maye finally got out of his funk in the second half, finishing with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

He shot 7-13 from the field in the second half, and his biggest basket came with 3:24 remaining in the contest. With the shot clock winding down, Maye sank a desperation 3-pointer that put UNC ahead, 83-73.

After Berry missed a questionable 3-pointer with 2:38 left, the guard sprinted back down the court and made the play of the game, blocking a potential dunk by Spalding to keep UNC's lead at eight. Maye subsequently grabbed the rebound and the Tar Heels ended up hitting another three, completing a five-point swing that firmly put the game out of reach.

For one of the most distinguished programs in college basketball, the team finally checked another milestone off the list: winning at Louisville.

Now, the team is riding high with a convincing five-game winning streak, as March swiftly approaches.

@keberly1996

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com