End of game: Louisville comes back from 18 down to win todays game 78-68. Montrezl Harrell had 22 points and 15 rebounds as he dominated the paint. UofL missed 17 free throws and still came back! What a game for the ACC as Louisville gets a signature win. Thank you for following Vavel as Louisville defeated North Carolina with a score of 78-68. The game recap will be up soon!
OT (19.8)- Jones gets fouled and is headed to the free throw line.
OT (43.6)- Rozier makes two free thows for a 12 point lead. Paige comes down to make a lay up.
OT (.49)- Louisville seems to have control of this game. They have a 10 point lead in OT and Rozier is headed to the free throw line.
OT (1)- Jones runs ahead of the defense and makes the and-one to try to push the lead to 10. Jones makes the free throw to make it a 10 point game.
OT (1)- Britt commits the foul on Harrell and he misses both but Rozier gets the offensive rebound. Jones is going to the free throw line now. Jones made a single free throw.
OT (2)- Blackshear makes his first basket of the game with a 3! UNC commits a turnover on the next play.
OT (2)- Rozier with a jump shot to give them the 4 point lead.
OT (3)-Rozier has made both free throws to give UofL the lead. Louisville forced the turnover and calls a timeout.The score is 64-62 with Louisville leading.
OT (4)- Rozier with the made shot to give Louisville the lead until UNC ties it back up.
OT (4)- Foul on Mathiang as Meeks is headed to the free throw line. He misses both of them.
End of 2nd half: WE ARE HEADED to OVERTIME!!!! The game is tied 60-60.
2nd (54.3)- Its a tied ball game and UNC calls a timeout
2nd (3)- Onuaku makes one free throw to tie it up.
2nd (3)- Harrell misses hit free throw and Meeks makes 1 free throw to give UNC the lead.
2nd (3)- Harrell scores as he fouled out Brice Johnson. Harrell is about to go to the free throw line.
2nd (4)- Jones is 3-13 from the field as he is missing a lot of lay ups. UNC still has the 2 point lead here in Louisville.
2nd (6)- Harrell draws the foul, he is looking aggressivly for the ball in the paint. Harrell hits both free throws to make it a 2 point game.
2nd (7)- Snider hits both free throws to make it a two point game.
2nd (7)- Tokoto makes 2 big baskets as UNC is now up by 4.
2nd (8)- Jones hits a 3 point basket and Harrell now hits the lay up and gets fouled! He can tied the game right here. Harrell hits it to make it a tied game.
2nd (9)-Rozier makes the 3 point basket to make it a 6 point game. We now have a game!
2nd (11)- Jackson draws the foul on Blackshear and hits both free throws to make it a 10 point game.Harrell makes another lay up and its a 8 point game.
2nd (12)- Tokoto hits the late jumper, then Rozier hits a lay up. Aaron commits a traveling call as UNC leads 49-41.
2nd (13)-Harrell gets his offensive rebound and puts it back up for a dunk. Jones throws an ally oop pass to Harrell for a one handed dunk!
2nd (13)- Jones with the foul after forcing a bad shot.
2nd (13)- Mathiang with the travel as Paige drew the foul on Mathiang on the next possesion.
2nd (14)- Paige hits the three then UNC forces a turnover to make it a 12 point game.
2nd (15)- Aaron with the lay up as its only a 10 point game. Jones got the steal and is heading to the free throw line. He made 1-2 from from the line to make it a 9 point game.
2nd (16)-Mathiang goes 1-2 from free throw line as Louisville has some momentum.
2nd (16)- Harrell went 1-2 from the free throw line. Harrell with his 2nd foul on the other end. Hicks went 1-2 from free throw line. 13 point game.
2nd (17)- Jones with the three point basket. He shot some life into the crowd. Rozier gets the steal and gets a fastbreak lay up.
2nd (18)- Another lay up by Tokoto to give UNC the 18 point lead.
2nd (18)- Basket by Meeks gives UNC the 41-25 lead. Cardinals look out of it already.
2nd (19)- Reach in foul on UNC as Louisville looks at attack more. Onuaku commited a traveling turnover in the first posession. Paige hit the 3 to make it a 14 point game.
The 2nd half is about to begin in Louisville. If Louisville wants to get back in the game, they will have to box out and start making their free throws. UNC just has to keep attacking the paint and grab every offensive board possible.
End of 1st half: Louisville is 7-27 from the field as North Carolina leads 36-25 heading into halftime. Louisville has no fast break points and is missing a ton of free throws.
1st (31.4)- James grabs another offensive board to make a hook shot. Harrell is at the free throw line and makes both for a double digit lead still.
1st (1)- James hits the jump shot to give UNC a 13 point lead.
1st (2)- Meeks makes the turn around shot for UNC. But Harrell misses the free throw as he makes the lay up.
1st (3)- Gill with the crazy shot and now UNC has a 12 point lead. 30-18 North Carolina.
1st (4)- Rozier commits the turnover with the traveling call. Louisville is 5-22 from the field.
1st (4)- Rozier draws the foul and he goes 1-2 from the free throw line. As they are now 5-10 from free throw line.
1st (5)- Louisville gets the steal but fails to convert then James makes a lay up for UNC.11 point lead for UNC.
1st (6)- Onuaku went 1-2 from the free throw line to make it a single point game.
1st (6)- Aaron and Britt trade 3 point baskets for UNC to keep the ten point lead.
1st (7)- Louisville has missed 13 straight shots as Tokoto makes a jumper to make it a 10 point lead.
1st (8)- UNC is just outplaying Louisville right now on both sides of the ball. North Carolina is leading 21-13.
1st (8)- Tokoto makes the fast break lay up. Harrell makes the offensive foul to give UNC the ball back.
1st (9)- Rozier gets fouled on the three point shot. Rozier made 2-3 free throws to make it a 6 point game.
1st (9)- Meeks with the offensive foul on Harrell as Meeks now has 2 fouls.
1st (10)- Paige scores a jump shot as they game looks out of hand early if Louisville does not start making shots. UNC is leading 19-11, timeout Louisville.
1st (11)- Britt scores a 3 after another offensive rebound! Carolina leads 17-11. Britt now has 2 fouls.
1st (11)- Onuaku goes 1-2 at the foul line to make it a 14-11 game.
1st (11)- Meeks fouls Onuaku as he heads to the foul line after this commerical break. North Carolina is domianting the offensive glass to give UNC the early 14-10 lead.
1st (12)- UNC pulls in 3 offensive rebounds than Blackshear pushes Hicks for his 2nd foul. It leads Britt to a made jump shot. 14-10 UNC leading.
1st (13)- Offensive foul on UNC as Louisville gets the ball back.
1st (14)- UNC gets the offensive board as Hicks is at the free throw line and went 2-2 to give UNC the lead.
1st (15)- Paige with the 3 point shot as the score is tied 10-10. The game is now getting sloppy for both teams.
1st (15)- Blackshear with the turnover as he threw it to no one.
1st (15)- Harrel with the offensive rebound. UNC has a turnover on the other end, Louisville up 10-7 heading into a timeout.
1st (16)- Jackson with the great floater to come within one point. Johnson now has 2 fouls for UNC.
1st (17)- Blackshear with the foul, Tokoto goes 1-2 from free throw line. 8-5 Louisville
1st (18)- Harrell with the lay up against UNC didn't double team. Rozier makes jumper to push lead to 8-4. Turnover by UNC to give UofL the ball back.
1st (19)- Jones for 3!! Great first shot for Louisville. Tokoto got a jump shot for their first point. Now Jackson got an offensive put back. 4-3 UNC up.
1st (20)- Here we go! UNC won the tip to have the first position of the game.
The tip has been moved to 4:12 P.M EST for Louisville vs North Carolina! Stay tuned for live updates on todays ACC clash of titans.
15 minutes left until tipoff! Rick Pitino is 0-6 against UNC for his carreer, hopefully today he can find that first win. Paige is playing excellent right now,will be a key to see if Chris Jones contains him.
The loss of Theo Pinson could be big for UNC. He was a 5 star recruit coming into the season. Both teams will have a very short bench to work with. A key stat last game was that Louisville had no bench points against UNC.
Mangok Mathiang or Chinanu Onuaku will start today for Louisville. They have basically been rotating for the starting center position. Mathiang had a strong game against BC and has a good chance to get the nod today.
Terry Rozier has been big in ACC play for Louisville. He stepped up his game and is scoring at will. He had a big game last time against UNC scoring 25 points and hit a shot that could've given Louisville the game if Paige didn't hit his shot.
Last time Brice Johnson held Montrezl Harrell to 9 points. Harrell will be ramped up for this game proving that he is still an elite big man. A big key will be if Harrell starts settling for threes.
Over an hour left until game time! Will the Cardinals contain Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson? Will Paige have a monster game for North Carolina? Stay tuned as I discuss some key points of the game every few minutes before the start of todays ACC matchup!
This is a must win game for the Cardinals as they are coming into the toughest stretch of their season. Montrezl Harrell will have to be dominant in the post, drawing fouls on Meeks and Johnson. Louisville has been shooting fantastic the past two games and will need to keep it up to win. North Carolina has won six straight looking for another signature win against the hungry Cardinals. It’s a white out for Louisville, hopefully Rick Pitino busts out his white suit today showing support to the fan base. This game will come down to the wire as Louisville holds on to win 76-72 in a big game by Harrell and Rozier. Follow along for the LIVE score of Louisville - North Carolina starting at 4:00 P.M EST!
Center (Chinanu Onuaku - Kennedy Meeks) – Onuaku has been coming off the bench the past could of games, but he had a fantastic game last time against UNC last time. He is an excellent defender who is a big bulky player that can grab rebounds with the best of them. He averages 3.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.6 BLK showing impressive numbers off the bench. Meeks owned this matchup it seemed like last time playing very dominant. He is a gigantic player that has a soft touch around the rim proving to be a big asset for the Tar Heels. Meeks averages 13 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.3 BLK in an impressive rate compared to last season. The advantage goes to Kennedy Meeks in this huge matchup as he dominated in the paint last time and will have to control the paint if UNC wants to claim the season series.
Power Forward (Montrezl Harrell - Brice Johnson) – Harrell was double teamed every time he touched the ball last time against UNC. They would be smart to do it again unless they want to go dunked on every position. Harrell averages 14.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 1.2 BLK. Johnson played fantastic in the last matchup against the two. He forced Harrell into bad situations and had a double-double while doing so. He averages 12.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 1 BLK showing to be a very solid defender and rebounder. The slight advantage goes to Montrezl Harrell this time because Harrell will be fueled by the home crowd whenever he flushes to the ball on huge dunks. Harrell only had 9 points and 5 rebounds against UNC, expect him to be aggressive early and set the tone early.
Small Forward (Wayne Blackshear - J.P Tokoto) – Blackshear has been a shadow of what he could’ve been at Louisville. He is a great defender, but also a very streaky shooter for the Cardinals. Blackshear is averaging 11.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.4 APG proving to be just a rebounder and defender most of the time. Tokoto is an excellent defender for UNC. He does score a ton unless they need him to turn it on and be aggressive. Tokoto averages 9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 4.1 APG becoming their most complete player. The advantage goes to J.P Tokoto in this matchup. Even though last time he shot poorly, he did everything else to make up for it. He made up for it by having 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the Tar Heels.
Shooting Guard (Terry Rozier - Justin Jackson) – Rozier has been the best player for Louisville all season. He leads the Cardinals in scoring and is very consistent in grabbing rebounds when needed. Rozier averages 18.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.6 APG playing like one of the top guards in the country. Justin Jackson is a very lengthy guard for UNC. He is an excellent defender who can contest shots with the best of them. Jackson averages 10 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 2.6 APG and is one of the underrated players for UNC. The advantage goes to Terry Rozier by a far margin because he is on a hot streak for Louisville right now and no one in UNC can stop him when he is clicking on all cylinders. Rozier had 25 points last time against UNC, he was the only player to score for Louisville down the stretch for most of the game.
Point Guard (Chris Jones - Marcus Paige) - Jones is a big part of Louisville’s success this season. When he is playing tough on-ball defense, he can guard anyone in the country. Jones averages 13.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 3.9 APG proving he can get up and grab rebounds for a guy only 5’10. Marcus Paige was regarded as the top point guard coming into this season. He has been nowhere close to those very high standards. Paige has been shooting an excellent percentage the last few games from beyond the arc, and is really the only threat for UNC from the 3 point line. He averages 14.1 PPG, 4.2 APG, and 2.6 RPG this season, those are low by his standards but he will have to play great for UNC to win. The advantage goes to Chris Jones, he played Paige very well last game scoring 19 points and pulling in 5 assists. Paige only scored 10 points last time they met, as Jones played him very tough giving him no easy buckets.
The 10th ranked Louisville Cardinals play host to the 13th ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. This is a rematch of a game on January 10th where UNC upset Louisville by a single point. Follow here for LIVE updates on the heated ACC battle starting at 4:00 P.M EST. Now, here is a position breakdown of each team and keys to the game.