The North Carolina Tar Heels are fresh off exactly the type of result they needed on the basketball court, dominating Campbell University by a 97-81 mark on Sunday, December 29 in one final tune-up for ACC play.
UNC (8-5, 1-0 ACC) played its most balanced, efficient brand of basketball we’ve witnessed through its young season, with all five starters scoring in double-figures. North Carolina shot a scorching 57.1 percentage from the field, while RJ Davis became the Tar Heels’ 3-point king by surpassing Marcus Paige.
UNC’s schedule is about to increase drastically in difficulty, as it now hops into an entirely-ACC schedule in 2025. North Carolina’s next conference test will be at the Louisville Cardinals on Wednesday, January 1 at 6 p.m. ET to open the New Year. Louisville (8-5, 1-1 ACC) looks significantly improved in its first year under new head coach Pat Kelsey, already matching its 2023-2024 win total.
Unless you count neutral site games, the Tar Heels haven’t played a true road game since Saturday, November 23 at Hawaii. UNC beat the Rainbow Warriors, 87-69, for its first road victory in two tries.
Both North Carolina and the Cardinals enter their New Year’s Day clash with momentum, with each program winning their past two games. The Tar Heels upset UCLA and dominated Campbell, while Louisville beat Florida State comfortably and held off Eastern Kentucky.
If matchup history is any indication of how Wednesday’s game will play out, UNC has a big advantage, winning the past five clashes. North Carolina last beat the Cardinals, 86-70, on January 17 in Chapel Hill, while the Cardinals’ last win over the Tar Heels came in February 2020.
Let’s take a deeper dive into UNC’s second ACC game – and Louisville’s third. The Cardinals aren’t an ACC contender by any means, but Kelsey has them on the up.
Key to victory for UNC
We witnessed it firsthand last year – and are starting to see the benefits of it in UNC’s current season.
If the Tar Heels want to beat Louisville, RJ Davis has to be on his game. Davis is playing his best basketball of late, shooting over 40% in three consecutive games, including a season-best 53.8% against Campbell.
North Carolina also needs to find shooters who can complement Davis. Every UNC starter – and three bench players – all shot over 50 percent. That kind of production is difficult to produce consistently, but if the Tar Heels can get some semblance of Sunday’s production against Louisville, they’ll be 2-0 entering the weekend.
Something to watch
Seth Trimble, UNC’s defensive ace, missed the Campbell game with an upper-body injury. Trimble appeared to be in good spirits on the bench, so hopefully his injury isn’t too serious, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
If Trimble were on the court, the Camels don’t score 81 points. They had one of the country’s worst offenses coming in, but the Tar Heels’ offense was too much to keep up with.
Louisville’s offense is middle of the pack when it comes to the ACC, sitting ninth at 78 points per game, but Louisville is a significantly tougher opponent than Campbell.
Everything you need to know
What: North Carolina at Louisville
When:Â Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at 6 p.m. ET
Where:Â KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
TV:Â ACC Network
Radio:Â 97.9 The Hill WCHL
Last Meeting:Â UNC won, 86-70, in Chapel Hill on January 17
Prediction:Â North Carolina 87, Louisville 82
Statistical leaders
North Carolina Points:Â RJ Davis, G, 18.8 points per game
North Carolina Rebounds:Â Seth Trimble, G, 4.8 rebounds per game
North Carolina Assists:Â Elliot Cadeau, G, 6.2 assists per game
Louisville Points:Â Chucky Hepburn, G, 15.2 points per game
Louisville Rebounds:Â J’Vonne Hadley, F, 8.0 rebounds per game
Louisville Assists:Â Chucky Hepburn, G, 5.2 assists per game
UNC basketball full schedule
Oct. 12: Blue-White Scrimmage (Blue 62, White 53)
Oct. 15: Exhibition @ Memphis (W, 84-76)
Oct. 27: Exhibition vs. Johnson C. Smith (W, 127-63)
Nov. 4: vs. Elon (W, 90-76) (1-0, 0-0)
Nov. 8: at Kansas (L, 92-89) (1-1, 0-0)
Nov. 15: vs. American University (W, 108-55) (2-1, 0-0)
Nov. 22: at Hawaii (W, 87-69) (3-1, 0-0)
Nov. 25: vs. Dayton, Maui Invitational (W, 92-90) (4-1, 0-0)
Nov. 26: vs. Auburn, Maui Invitational (L, 85-72) (4-2, 0-0)
Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State, Maui Invitational (L, 94-90 OT) (4-3, 0-0)
Dec. 4: vs. Alabama, SEC/ACC Challenge (L, 94-79) (4-4, 0-0)
Dec. 7: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 68-65) (5-4, 1-0 ACC)
Dec. 14: vs. La Salle (W, 93-67) (6-4, 1-0)
Dec. 17: vs. Florida, Jumpman Invitational (L, 90-84) (6-5, 1-0)
Dec. 21: vs. UCLA, CBS Sports Classic (W, 76-74) (7-5, 1-0)
Dec. 29: vs. Campbell (W, 97-81) (8-5, 1-0)
Jan. 1: at Louisville
Jan. 4: at Notre Dame
Jan. 7: vs. SMU
Jan. 11: at NC State
Jan. 15: vs. California
Jan. 18: vs. Stanford
Jan. 21: at Wake Forest
Jan. 25: vs. Boston College
Jan. 28: at Pitt
Feb. 1: at Duke
Feb. 8: vs. Pitt
Feb. 10: at Clemson
Feb. 15: at Syracuse
Feb. 19: vs. NC State
Feb. 22: vs. Virginia
Feb. 24: at Florida State
March 1: vs. Miami (FL)
March 4: at Virginia Tech
March 8: vs. Duke
March 11-15: ACC Tournament (Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC)
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire : UNC basketball vs. Louisville game preview
