By R.L. Bynum
Louisville presents a potentially dangerous combination considering the vulnerabilities of North Carolina’s defense this season.
Given that as many Carolina opponents have scored at least 10 3-pointers as many times as last season (7), it’s alarming for the Tar Heels that Louisville has double-digit 3s in eight games.
While 53.5% of the Cardinals’ shots come from outside the arc, they are making only 29.9% coming into their 6 p.m. Wednesday game (ACC Network) at the KFC Yum! Center against Carolina (8–5, 1–0 ACC; NET ranking of 39).
Louisville (8–5, 1–1; NET ranking of 60) gets many shots around the rim on drives under first-year Coach Pat Kelsey, a way many teams have burned UNC this season. It could be a long night if success on Cardinals drives combines with a hot perimeter shooting night.
Kelsey came to Louisville after going 75–27 in three seasons at the College of Charleston and has dramatically turned over the roster. The only returning player from last season’s 8–24 team, fifth-year guard Aidan McCool, has played only four minutes.
The Cardinals’ top three scorers and their best 3-point shooters are:
— 6–2, 190-pound senior guard Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin transfer; 15.2 points per game, making 34.3% of his 3-point attempts; top photo)
— 6–6, 204-pound fifth-year wing Terrence Edwards Jr. (James Madison transfer; 14.7, 32.8%)
— 6–2, 190-pound senior Australian guard Reyne Smith (College of Charleston transfer; 13.1, 37.3%).
Louisville’s two other usual starters also attempt a good number of 3-pointers:
— 6–6, 215-pound fifth-year Colorado transfer J’Vonne Hadley (10.2 points, team-leading 8.0 rebounds; 8 of 30 on 3s)
— 6–11, 230-pound sixth-year BYU transfer Noah Waterman (20 of 72 for 27.8%).
The Cardinals just got senior 6–5, 204-pound forward Aboubacar Traore back after missing 10 games with a broken left arm. The Long Beach State transfer played five scoreless minutes in Saturday’s 78–76 home win over 6–7 Eastern Kentucky. It took a Waterman layup with 1.2 seconds left for Louisville to escape an upset.
The Cardinals’ schedule has been challenging (21st-toughest, according to KenPom.com, compared to UNC’s, which is 7th-toughest).
“Like us, they played one of the toughest schedules in the country,” Kelsey said. “Each one of their losses was very close, and against very good teams. Listen, they’re one of the most talented teams in the country.”
Louisville is 1–4 in Quad 1 games, beating West Virginia 79–70 on Nov. 28 and losing to Oklahoma 69–64 on Nov 29 in the Bahamas, with home losses to No. 1 Tennessee 77–55 on Nov. 9 and No. 4 Duke 76–65 on Dec. 8. The Cardinals have Quad 2 wins on Nov. 27 over Indiana 89–61 in the Bahamas and on Dec. 21 at Florida State 90–76.
NOTES — This is the first of two Quad 1 opportunities for UNC in three games. After playing at Notre Dame (7–6, 1–1; 92 NET ranking) in a Quad 2 game at noon Saturday (CBS), the Tar Heels will host SMU (11–2, 2–0; 30 NET ranking) at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, (ACC Network) in another Quad 1 game. … UNC is 1–1 on the road, losing to then-No. 1 Kansas 92–89 on Nov. 8 and winning 87–69 on Nov. 22 at Hawai’i. … Carolina is 1–2 in New Year’s Day games, with losses to Butler in 1929 and Maryland in 1943 and a 2012 win over Monmouth in Hubert Davis’ first season as an assistant coach. … Carolina has won the last five meetings with Louisville by an average of 19 points, and is 20–7 in the series, including 4–5 in Louisville and 4–3 in the KFC Yum! Center. … Jay Alter and Debbie Antonelli will be on the ACC Network call. Patrick Antonelli, one of the color analyst’s three sons, is a fifth-year reserve Louisville guard who transferred from Emory & Henry.
UNC season statistics
Louisville season statistics
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | Louisville |
| Overall ranking | 29 | 59 |
| Offensive efficiency | 119.1 (18) | 114.3 (51) |
| Defensive efficiency | 99.5 (57) | 100.7 (78) |
| Effective FG% | 53.7 (81) | 50.8 (170) |
| Turnover % | 14.6 (34) | 17.4 (158) |
| Offensive rebound % | 28.9 (216) | 35.3 (39) |
| FTA/FGA | 39.2 (58) | 37.1 (86) |
| Strength of schedule | 7 | 21 |
Series: UNC 20, Louisville 7
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 10–0 | 21–1 | 3 |
| No. 20 Clemson | 9–1 | 19–4 | 31 |
| No. 18 Virginia | 9–2 | 20–3 | 16 |
| N.C. State | 9–2 | 18–6 | 25 |
| No. 14 North Carolina | 6–3 | 18–4 | 27 |
| Miami | 7–3 | 18–5 | 37 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 7–4 | 17–6 | 17 |
| California | 5–5 | 17–6 | 55 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–6 | 16–8 | 57 |
| SMU | 5–5 | 16–7 | 34 |
| Syracuse | 4–7 | 13–11 | 69 |
| Florida State | 3–6 | 10–12 | 101 |
| Stanford | 3–7 | 14–9 | 79 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–8 | 11–12 | 143 |
| Wake Forest | 2–8 | 11–12 | 70 |
| Notre Dame | 2–8 | 11–12 | 87 |
| Boston College | 2–8 | 9–14 | 150 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–8 | 9–14 | 114 |
* — Through Friday games
Saturday’s games
N.C. State 82, Virginia Tech 71
No. 18 Virginia 72, Syracuse 59
No. 24 Louisville 88, Wake Forest 80
Miami 74, Boston College 68
SMU 86, Pittsburgh 67
Florida State at Notre Dame, 4 p.m., The CW
No. 4 Duke at No. 14 North Carolina, 6:30, ESPN
No. 20 Clemson at California, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Georgia Tech at Stanford, 8 p.m., ESPNU
Monday’s game
N.C. State at No. 24 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
No. 14 North Carolina at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 18 Virginia at Florida State, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Notre Dame at SMU, 7 p.m., ACC Network
No. 4 Duke at Pittsburgh, 9 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday’s games
Virginia Tech at No. 20 Clemson, ACC Network
California at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Wake Forest at Georgia Tech, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at Boston College, 9 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday, Feb. 14, games
No. 20 Clemson at No. 4 Duke, noon, ESPN
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame, noon, The CW
California at Boston College, noon, ACC Network
Pittsburgh at No. 14 North Carolina, 2 p.m., ESPN
Florida State at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Syracuse, 2 p.m., The CW
No. 24 Louisville vs. Baylor in Fort Worth, Texas, 4 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
Stanford at Wake Forest, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Miami at N.C. State, 4 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
No. 18 Virginia vs. Ohio State in Nashville, 8 p.m., Fox
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 16 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 11 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 10 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 18 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 24 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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