UNC Basketball: Outmatched, shorthanded Heels blown out by Cardinals
UNC basketball’s woes continue, as Tar Heels lose in blowout fashion to Louisville Cardinals
Jordan Nwora scored 18 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, as Louisville beat North Carolina by a final score of 72-55 at the KFC Yum Center on Saturday.
Nwora hit 7-of-15 shots from the floor, and 3-of-7 from three-point range after scoring just seven combined points in his previous two games. Junior forward Malik Williams added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Cardinals on a terrific 8-for-11 shooting performance. Six other Louisville players got into the scoring column on Saturday afternoon, but none with more than nine points.
The Cardinals shot 46.7 percent for the game, and 36 percent from beyond the arc. They outrebounded the Tar Heels by nine, assisted on 12 of their 28 made buckets, and turned the ball over five fewer times than North Carolina. The win gives Louisville a half-game lead in the Atlantic Coast Conference over second-place Florida State. They’re now 23-5 on the season, and 14-3 in league play.
North Carolina, who was playing without Garrison Brooks (illness) and Justin Pierce (ankle sprain), was led by Cole Anthony’s 18 points. He added seven rebounds and two assists, but shot just 2-for-7 from long-range, and committed four first half turnovers.
No other North Carolina player scored in double-figures against Louisville, and they shot just 39.6 percent as a team. They hit just 6-of-22 three-point attempts, and committed 17 turnovers — many of which were careless and unforced.
The Tar Heels have now lost seven consecutive games, and sit at just 10-17 overall, and 3-13 in conference play. One more defeat would give North Carolina its second-most losses in a single season in program history. It would also put the Tar Heels one game closer to finishing the conference season in last-place, where they currently sit a full game behind Wake Forest.
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North Carolina will be in action again on Tuesday night when the North Carolina State Wolfpack travel to Dean Smith Center. Stick with Keeping It Heel for complete coverage of the game, and everything UNC basketball.