#19 Louisville Upends #2 North Carolina 71-65

Nineteenth ranked Louisville had a 17-3 record coming into its February 1st game at home against #2 North Carolina (19-2) in a key ACC matchup. The Cardinals however, had lost to #11 Virginia 63-47 on January 30th; dropping their record against top 25 teams to 1-3 . North Carolina had won 12 straight and was undefeated in conference play. This game would be a good indication of the state of both teams. Could Louisville beat a quality opponent and stay in the running for the ACC Championship? Would North Carolina continue its early domination in the conference?

Behind a 24 point performance by Damion Lee, Louisville held off the Tar Heels for a 71-65 victory. The Cardinals also benefitted by North Carolina’s poor shooting; the Tar Heels were just 3 of 17 in three point attempts, and shot 34.5 % from the field. NC also committed 18 turnovers.

At 7-2 in conference play, Louisville is just a game behind the 8-1 Tar Heels. The two have only one regular season game against each other. Louisville hosts Boston College (7-14, 0-8 in the ACC) on February 6th while UNC is at Notre Dame (15-6, 6-3) the same day.