Louisville Cardinals vs North Carolina Tar Heels Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our North Carolina vs Louisville NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Louisville.

North Carolina vs Louisville Prediction

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Tar Heels and Cardinals. The game is starting at 6:00 ET on ACCN, and it's hosted by the Cardinals at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY. Get ready to place your bets! The over/under line for this matchup is currently at 164.5 points, and Louisville is favored by -1.5 to win at home against North Carolina.

North Carolina vs. Louisville Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: North Carolina Tar Heels at Louisville Cardinals
Where: Louisville at KFC Yum! Center
Date: Wednesday, January 1st
Betting Odds LOU -1.5, NCAR -104 | LOU -123 O/U 164.5

Tar Heels Preview: Does North Carolina Have a Shot at a Road Win?

North Carolina improved to 8-5 on the season with a 97-81 win over Campbell on Sunday. The Tar Heels were heavy favorites at -28 but didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 178 went over the pre-game line of 155.5.

UNC led 40-29 at halftime and scored 57 points in the 2nd half, but they allowed Campbell to put up 52 points after the break, raising some defensive concerns.

Tar Heels Offense Breakdown

North Carolina put up 97 points in their latest game, shooting 57.1% from the field and 65.1% in effective field goal percentage. They were dominant inside, hitting 74.3% of their two-point attempts, while connecting on 35.7% from beyond the arc, making 10 threes.

Colby Duggan led the way with 32 points, shooting 5-of-9 from three, while Ian Jackson added 26 points. RJ Davis contributed 23 points, hitting 5 threes, and Elliot Cadeau dished out 12 assists, adding 12 points of his own.

Tar Heels Team Defense

North Carolina struggled defensively in their last game, giving up 81 points while allowing the opposing team to shoot 57% from the field. Inside the arc, the Tar Heels allowed a scorching 74% shooting, with the other team making 26 of their 35 two-point attempts.

From three-point range, North Carolina's defense allowed 10 threes on 28 attempts, a 35% shooting rate. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 20 times, where they converted 15 shots for 75%. The Tar Heels gave up 8 offensive rebounds.

Cardinals Preview: Can the Cardinals Live Up to the Hype at Home?

Louisville improved to 8-5 on the season with a narrow 78-76 win over Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. Despite being heavy favorites at -21.5, the Cardinals didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game were 154, just under the O/U line of 157.5.

Louisville led 46-37 at halftime but allowed 39 points in the 2nd half while scoring 32. The Cardinals will need to tighten up defensively as they move forward.

Cardinals Offense Breakdown

Louisville's offense put up 78 points in their last game, shooting 37.5% from the field and 30.6% from three-point range. Their effective field goal percentage was 46.9%, and they hit 79.2% of their free throws, going 19-for-24 at the line.

The Cardinals grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and dished out 12 assists. George Kimble III led the way with 24 points, hitting 4-of-10 from deep, while Devontae Blanton added 22 points. Terrence Edwards Jr. contributed 20 points, shooting 50% from both the field and beyond the arc.

Cardinals Team Defense

Despite Louisville's defensive efforts, they gave up 76 points, with their opponent shooting 37% from the field. The Cardinals allowed 13 two-point baskets on 28 attempts, a 46% shooting rate.

From beyond the arc, Louisville's defense saw 36 three-point attempts, with 11 finding the mark, a 30% success rate. At the free-throw line, their opponent went 19/24, hitting 79% of their shots. Louisville also gave up 21 offensive rebounds.

Tar Heels vs Cardinals Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last ten games away from home, the Tar Heels have a straight up record of 7-3 while going 7-3 vs. the spread. The team averaged 76 points per game in this stretch.
Louisville has a 2-3 record in their last five home games. In this stretch, they averaged 82 points per game while allowing 78. The team also performed well vs the spread at 4-1.
As the betting underdog, the Tar Heels have an ATS mark of just 4-6 in their last ten games. North Carolina posted a straight up mark of 3-7 in these matchups.
Through their previous five contests as the betting favorite, the Cardinals have a strong record of 3-2. Their record vs the spread in these matchups is 1-4.