Was this the same Louisville Cardinals team from Saturday? After coming off a disappointing game against the Virginia Cavaliers, Louisville had to welcome the 2nd ranked North Carolina Tar Heels to town. The Cardinals were favored by a single point by Vegas but let’s be honest here…. who would’ve thought Louisville would look this much better two days later? No one was giving the Cardinals the light of day after Virginia, and they fought hard tonight. Louisville grinded out a tough victory against the Tar Heels and here’s how they pulled off the massive upset.

Damion Lee came to play

One of the main reasons why Louisville lost on Saturday was because Damion Lee played one of his worst games of his career. He scored 24 points against UNC for one of his best games of the season. During the season, Lee was a streaky shooter but can light up the scoreboard in a heartbeat. Lee was on fire tonight hitting 4/7 from beyond the arc and played 39 minutes. That’s the most minutes he played all season and was in foul trouble most of the 2nd half but contained himself to play most of the game. If Damion Lee continues a streak like this, Louisville will be in for a long March.

Paige and Britt played some of their worst basketball all season

The backcourt duo of UNC combined to shoot 4/23 from the field while they each played 34 minutes in the game. The guards of Louisville played a much better game than the Tar Heels and it proved to be the biggest advantage for the Cardinals. Quentin Snider, Trey Lewis, Donovan Mitchell, and Lee played fantastic defense to shut down Paige from getting hot down the stretch. If Paige would’ve played at least a half way decent game, this could’ve been a different outcome. North Carolina relies heavily on their guard play and if that’s not going, then the Tar Heels are in trouble the entire night.

Louisville big men showed up

The box score might not pop out to anyone when looking at Jaylen Johnson, Anas Mahmoud, Raymond Spalding, and Chinanu Onuaku as a whole. But they all played excellent defense even though Nanu got into foul trouble late into the game. Spalding played the most if not the entire 2nd half because he was just giving the team that extra energy they needed. He was everywhere on the floor, from rebounding, blocking shots, and dunking over people. He had some freshman moments but he grew up tonight against UNC. Johnson had an awful game scoring wise but he could hold Kennedy Meeks in check while everyone else was busy with the potential All-American. Mahmoud had three blocks which were pivotal in a game like this and his post moves looked very clean tonight as well. Onuaku played better but he almost fouled out at the end, his double-double is exactly what Louisville needs from him on a nightly basis.

This was the first signature win by Louisville and they held on to 2nd place in the ACC. But if UNC slips up again while UofL wins, they will hold the tie breaker and lead the ACC. Louisville played better than UNC from tip and never looked back. If the Cards keep playing like this, their March will be longer than most others.

Leading Scorers; (Louisville) Damion Lee 24 points (North Carolina) Justin Jackson 16 points

Next Games: Louisville vs Boston College 2/5 North Carolina at Notre Dame 2/6

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Phillip Steinmetz
Huge Louisville Cardinals fan. Avid follower of the NBA, NFL, and college basketball. I have been writing for almost three years and plan to for the rest of my life!