By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — The toughness, grit and intensity, led by Seth Trimble, showed how good North Carolina can be, even without star Caleb Wilson.
Trimble was flying, literally at times, on his way to a career-high 30 points as the No. 18 Tar Heels held on for a huge Quad 1 win, 77–74, over No. 24 Louisville on Monday at the Smith Center with some of its best defense of the season.
UNC (22–6, 10–5 ACC) made it tougher on itself by shooting 58.3% from the free-throw line (9 of 19). Louisville erased most of the Heels’ 16‑point second‑half lead, but Carolina made five free throws in the last two minutes to finish it off.
Carolina coach Hubert Davis said Trimble changed the game on both ends, scoring with aggressiveness while dogging Louisville star guard Mikel Brown Jr., who scored 24 points but needed 25 shots to get there.
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“Seth was a huge force tonight on both ends of the floor,” said Davis, whose team is 16–0 at home. “One of the things that I told him is when you come off of a ball screen, you’re 100%, you can score, and then let the defense dictate whether you make a pass and you go to the basket. And Seth’s ability to be able to get downhill, he was able to score, draw fouls, just a huge difference maker for us against a really good defensive team.”
Trimble, who has stacked 43 points over his last three halves, said the night felt like a breakthrough as he showed that he can lead the team with Wilson out. He did that in a 2024 exhibition game against Memphis without RJ Davis when he poured in 33.
“Feels good. Definitely a huge accomplishment,” said Trimble, who had four rebounds and four assists. “Scared ourselves a little bit. If I would have made a couple more free throws, the game would have been over.”
He saw lanes in Louisville’s defensive coverage and kept attacking. Many times, the Cardinals were left flat-footed as Trimble drew eight fouls.
“The way they guard ball screens and whatnot, I was really able to get out and either create for my team or get downhill and make a play. So it’s really as simple as that,” Trimble said. “We were just being physical. We came out, and we threw the first punch in that second half.”
Henri Veesaar and Luka Bogavac both scored 12 points, and Jarin Stevenson had nine points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Louisville’s early flurry created the first big swing. A 21–9 Cardinals run produced four straight threes and a 10‑point lead with 13:30 left in the first half.
Trimble answered with his first made three since the Duke winner (he had missed his previous eight attempts), starting an 11–2 push that included a Veesaar three to cut it to one with 9:38 left.
Trimble’s athletic driving three‑point play capped a 10–2 surge for a 33–29 edge with 5:30 before halftime, and UNC took a 39–38 lead into the break.
Trimble kept it rolling with five of the Heels’ first eight after halftime, then turned a steal into a tomahawk dunk that ignited a 15–2 run. The lead hit 56–40 with 13:38 remaining.
Trimble didn’t notice the crowd roaring after that slam.
“No, honestly, [Zayden High] told me how loud it was, but no, I was just screaming myself,” Trimble said of the dunk. “I wasn’t really paying attention to anything, but just letting out some emotion.”
Defense and pace fueled that push, which Davis traced to the group’s response since the Syracuse halftime challenge two days earlier.
Louisville went more than 9½ minutes without a field goal before going on a 7–0 run to trim its deficit to nine, prompting a Davis timeout. UNC went from four first-half turnovers to four in the first nine second-half minutes as the lead dropped to seven after the timeout.
Stevenson stopped a 2:23 scoring drought with a three, sparking an 11–5 answer that restored a 12‑point cushion with 6:11 left.
Stevenson said the shift was about sound habits and juice.
“Intensity and energy, just going in, getting stops, and then getting out in transition,” he said. “We were taking care of the ball better, getting back so they didn’t have any easy baskets.”
But Louisville’s Ryan Conwell and Brown kept coming.
Conwell scored six in a late 9–4 run, Brown drilled a 3 to pull Louisville within five with 2:07 left. Conwell made two free throws to make it 72–69 with 51.4 seconds remaining.
UNC closed it out, though, as Trimble hit two free throws with 12.3 seconds left. Derek Dixon added one with 0.8 of a second left after another Brown three a little more than a second earlier.
Davis liked the composure, but he did not like the fouling and the freebies left behind.
“From the big picture, I thought we handled it really well,” he said. “What we didn’t handle really well is getting to the free-throw line and knocking down those free throws.”
Veesaar agreed that missed chances at the line turned a comfortable win into a tense final minute.
“We just need to be more confident and knock down free throws. I went over one. We had a whole bunch of guys miss. But I feel like those are all controllables, and I know that’s not going to be every game.”
Rebounding was another factor that led to the narrow margin, with Louisville owning edges of 41–32 in overall rebounding and 16–7 under the offensive boards. Veesaar had only two rebounds.
“Just doing that as seven-footer is unacceptable,” he said. “I’ve got to do a better job. Coming back from the little injury, I haven’t been myself. I’ve got to work on that and get back to where I was before, helping the team be able to win the rebounding battle.”
The guards set the tone at both ends in Wilson’s absence, and Dixon said the chemistry is growing as roles settle.
“With time that’s going to come, understanding the offense is going to run a little bit differently, and understanding what we’re all doing and what our roles are without Caleb in the lineup,” Dixon said.
Conwell had 10 of his 23 in the second half for Louisville (20–8, 9–6), with J’Vonne Hadley adding 14.
Notes
— UNC plays the second of three consecutive home games at 8:30 Saturday (ESPN2) against Virginia Tech (18–10, 7–8). The Hokies beat Wake Forest 82–63 at home Saturday to end a two-game losing streak, and don’t have a mid-week game.
— Trimble’s 3-pointer with 11:44 left in the first half was his first since the game-winning 3 against Duke.
— Trimble is the first Tar Heel to score at least 30 since RJ Davis had 30 against Dayton.
— UNC has won three ACC games decided by one possession in the Smith Center: 87–84 over Wake Forest, 71–68 over Duke and Monday’s game.
— Louisville made only 42.9% of its two-point attempts, its second lowest of the season behind 25.0% against Duke.
— Carolina shot at least 60% from the floor in consecutive halves (61.5% in the second half against Syracuse and 60.7% in the first half Monday) for the first time since the 2017–18 season (second half against Tulane and first half against Western Carolina).
— UNC trailed 23–13, marking the fourth time it has rallied from a double-digit deficit to win (trailing Kansas by 10, Virginia by 16, Duke by 13 and Louisville by 10).
— UNC has won at least 10 ACC regular-season games for the 49th time and sixth straight season.
— Although the ceremony planned for Monday was postponed, the No. 4 jersey honoring RJ Davis already is hanging from the Smith Center rafters.
— Pregame, Carolina players wore special shooting T-shirts designed by Hargraves Center students in honor of Black History Month.
— Former football coach Mack Brown got a standing ovation and a warm reception from the crowd when UNC introduced him at midcourt during a first-half timeout, alongside current football coach Bill Belichick, future athletics director Steve Newmark and Chancellor Lee Roberts.
— Carolina leads the all-time series with Louisville 21–8, including 7–1 in the Smith Center, with wins in six of the last seven meetings.
No. 18 UNC 77, No. 24 Louisville 74
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
| Date | Month/day | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. 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. 17 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. 11 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. 9 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 | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 1 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at No. 25 Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 82–58 | at N.C. State | 20–6, 8–5 |
| 21 | Saturday | W, 77–64 | at Syracuse | 21–6, 9–5 |
| 23 | Monday | W, 77–74 | vs. Louisville | 22–6, 10–5 |
| 28 | Saturday | W, 89–82 | vs. Virginia Tech | 23–6, 11–5 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 67–63 | vs. Clemson | 24–6, 12–5 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 76–61 | at No. 1 Duke | 24–7, 12–6 |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte | |
| 12 | Thursday | L, 80–79 | Quarterfinals: vs. Clemson | 24–8 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 19 | Thursday | L, 82–78, OT | First round: vs. VCU in Greenville, S.C. | 24–9 |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics
