There's no place like home!
Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels now have the luxury of not leaving the state of North Carolina throughout the remainder of the regular season. They kick off a three-game homestand, the final one of the 2025-2026 season, when Louisville rolls into town for a Monday night showdown.
This is a big game for both teams when it comes to the standings for the upcoming ACC Tournament. Seeding matters in these events, as neither squad can afford a loss, one that would have implications on when (and who) they will meet up against come postseason play.
2025-2026 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 21-6
Conference Record: 9-5
Home Record: 15-0
Away Record: 4-5
Neutral Site Record: 2-1
Top-25 Wins: 4
Louisville Cardinals
Overall record: 20-7
Conference Record: 9-5
Home Record: 14-2
Away Record: 3-5
Neutral Site Record: 3-0
Key Players
North Carolina
Caleb Wilson (Fr. Forward)- 20.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists
Henri Veesaar (Jr. Center)- 16.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists
Seth Trimble (Sr. Guard)- 13.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Luka Bogavac (Jr. Guard)- 9.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Wilson is out indefinitely due to injury.
Louisville
Mikel Brown Jr. (Fr. Guard) 18.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists
Ryan Conwell (Sr. Guard)- 18.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists
J'Vonne Hadley (Sr. Guard)- 11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
Defend the three-point line
Louisville is not afraid to shoot from beyond-the-arc.
In fact, it's literally their offensive identity. When they knock down shots from deep, good things happen. When they don't, that's when they lose games.
Let's take a look at some of the numbers:
In five ACC losses, Louisville has shot 27+ three-point attempts, not shooting above 38% from beyond-the-arc:
Stanford- 22% (27 attempts)
Duke- 32% (38 attempts)
Virginia- 26% (38 attempts)
Duke- 32% (34 attempts)
SMU- 38% (34 attempts)
On the flip side, they've been really good from deep over their last four victories:
Georgia Tech- 48% (31 attempts)
Baylor- 44% (18 attempts)
NC State- 60% (30 attempts)
Wake Forest- 40% (25 attempts)
This game will be dictated by how Lousville shoots from deep. If they get hot (or if North Carolina fails to defend the three-point line like they have in the past) the Cardinals just might run away with this one early on.
North Carolina must lock in defensively, especially with guarding the perimeter. Don't be surprised if Hubert Davis tries to match Louisville's lineup by going smaller to help the defensive effort.
Something to Watch For
Henri Veesaar returned to the lineup after missing two games due to injury/illness. The junior big man logged 26 minutes against Syracuse, scoring a team-high 19 points.
With such a quick turnaround, it will be interesting to see how Veesaar feels heading into this contest. While he should be good to go for the game, it's likely that his minutes will continue to be monitored, as North Carolina doesn't need Veesaar to re-aggravate the injury (which would mean more missed time).
Projected Starters
No. 3- Derek Dixon
No. 7- Seth Trimble
No. 13 Henri Veesaar
No. 15- Jarin Stevenson
No. 44 Luka Bogavac