The Louisville Cardinals (6-10) travel to face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels (13-3) on Wednesday, January 17th. This game will be played at Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill and televised on ACCN. North Carolina is coming off a win in their previous game, while Louisville is looking to get back on track from a loss to the North Carolina State. Tip-off is set for 9:00 ET.
Louisville Cardinals vs North Carolina Tar Heels
The Louisville Cardinals Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
So far this season, Louisville has been an underdog in nine of their 16 games, going just 1-8 in those contests. On the road, the Cardinals have struggled, going just 1-3 compared to their 5-7 record at home.
Coming off a loss to North Carolina State, Louisville has gone just 1-4 in their last five games on the road. Their average scoring margin on the road this season is -7.2 points per game.
Against the spread, Louisville has gone 6-8-2 this season and they are 2-2 vs. the spread on the road. As the underdog, the Cardinals are 4-4-1 vs. the spread this year and over their last 10 games as the underdog, they are 4-5-1. On the road, Louisville’s ATS mark is 5-5 over their last 10 games.
So far this season, the over/under record for Louisville games is 9-7. On average, their games have finished with 150.4 points, which is 4.3 points higher than the average over/under line of 146.1. Today’s line of 155.5 is higher than the over/under line in 14 of their games. In their last three games, the average scoring total is 158 points and their over/under record during this stretch is 2-1.
The North Carolina Tar Heels Are Coming Off A Win
North Carolina is coming off a 103-67 win over Syracuse, and they have won their last six games. So far this season, the Tar Heels have gone 13-3, and they are 5-0 in ACC play. At home, they have gone 9-1, and their average scoring margin at home is +19.5.
For the season, North Carolina has been favored in 14 of their 16 games, and they have gone 12-2 in those games. Their average scoring margin on the road is +5.5, and they have won their last four road games.
As the favorite this season, North Carolina has an ATS record of 9-5 and they have gone 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as the favorite. In their last three home games, the Tar Heels have an ATS record of 2-1 and they are 6-4 ATS at home this season.
North Carolina’s over/under record for the season is 9-7 and today’s line of 155.5 is right in line with the average scoring in their games this season of 153.2 points. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 136 points and their OU record over their last 10 games is 5-5.
Louisville Offense Breakdown
In their latest game, Louisville offense put up 83 points against North Carolina State. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 47.5% and made 8 threes. Offensively, the Cardinals hold a season-long field goal percentage of 43%, placing them 297th in the national rankings. When it comes to three-pointers, they are ranked 284th in terms of percentage and 310th in three-pointers made.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike James (G) | 14.2 | 5.7 | 1.4 |
| Skyy Clark (G) | 14.2 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (F) | 10.2 | 8.7 | 1.0 |
North Carolina Offense Breakdown
Coming off a good offensive performance, North Carolina’s offense scored 103 points against Syracuse. Their field goal percentage for the game was 48.1%, and they went 22/27 from the free-throw line. RJ Davis was the leading scorer for the Tar Heels, putting up 22 points. In addition, Armando Bacot contributed 16 points.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| RJ Davis (G) | 20.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 |
| Armando Bacot (F) | 14.6 | 10.8 | 1.3 |
| Harrison Ingram (F) | 12.7 | 7.8 | 2.5 |
Louisville Team Defense
Facing North Carolina, Louisville aims for a better defensive performance, given their current average of 76.6 points allowed per game (248th). On average, opposing teams are hitting 7.6 threes per game vs. North Carolina. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 31.2%.
North Carolina Team Defense
Coming into today’s game, the North Carolina defense is giving up an average of 69.5 points per contest. Against Syracuse in their most recent game, the North Carolina defense gave up a total of 67 points while allowing Syracuse to hit 48% of their shots.
Cardinals vs Tar Heels Trends
- In their last three games away from home, the Cardinals have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 67 points per game in this stretch.
- Although North Carolina has a straight up record of 6-4 in their last ten home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 5-5. The team averaged 71 points per game in these games.
- Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, Louisville has an ATS mark of 2-1 while going 1-2 straight up.
- As the betting favorite, the Tar Heels have an ATS record of 3-0 in their last three games. In these matchups, their straight up record was 3-0.
Cardinals vs Tar Heels Prediction
For a point-spread bet in this Tar Heels vs. Tar Heels matchup, we’re leaning towards the Tar Heels at -21.5. Although our projections show the Tar Heels winning 74-68, we suggest placing your bet on the Cardinals for the point-spread.
Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 155.5 and given that our model is projecting 142 points between the teams, we like the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 17, 2024 Louisville Cardinals, North Carolina Tar Heels, Teams