Behind a strong 15-point performance by graduate forward Jae'Lyn Withers, the No. 4 North Carolina (14-3, ACC 6-0) men’s basketball team beat the Louisville Cardinals (6-11, ACC 1-5), 86-70, on Wednesday night at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Senior guard RJ Davis and graduate center Armando Bacot led the UNC offense combining for 40 points and 13 rebounds, with Davis going 4-7 from three. Withers had his career-best day as a Tar Heel with his first double-double to the tune of 15 points, 10 rebounds and going 5-6 from the field.
The Tar Heels ripped off a 17-2 run and defensively hounded the Louisville offense with blocks, ball screens and the occasional press on timeouts.
First-year guard Elliot Cadeau kept the UNC offense rolling, relying on shooters Davis and graduate Cormac Ryan while not turning over a single possession until the 11-minute mark of the contest. Ryan in particular continued his hot streak from beyond the arc in the first frame, going 4-6 from three.
Cadeau articulated the Tar Heel gameplay with a monster coast-to-coast steal and slam to continue the Tar Heel lead. The all-cylinders play didn’t stop until the last buzzer of the first period, with a host of free throws and a dominant steal and fastbreak drive by Withers. UNC headed into the locker room with a 46-29 lead over the Cardinals.
Junior forward Harrison Ingram carried the Tar Heel offense through the first four minutes of the second frame with five points.
The UNC defensive front, however, began to crumble through the second, missing layups, turning the ball over and letting Louisville creep within 10. The Cardinals were able to turn on the sharpshooting switch and knock down multiple threes in their resurgence.
Davis seemed to shake the frost off the otherwise lackluster offense at the 10-minute mark by draining a jumper from beyond the arc. Slowly but surely, the Tar Heels built their lead back up, relying on defensive blocks and crucial layups. Withers articulated the Tar Heels revival with a burly and-1 reverse layup.
The Cardinals were down, but certainly not out. The formerly lockdown UNC defense struggled to halt the Louisville train, particularly guard Skyy Clark. But UNC handily responded to Clark with layups by Bacot and Cadeau, along with a three from Davis.
