2025 didn’t get off to the start that Carolina was hoping for, as they fell to Louisville on the road, 83-70, to fall to 8-6 on the season, and 1-1 in ACC play. At the under-4 timeout in the second half, Carolina trailed 70-69 but was outscored 13-1 down the stretch, to lose the game going away. Down by one, Carolina had a chance to take the lead, after they forced a missed shot, but a missed rebounding opportunity, led to them fouling a Cardinal shooting a three, and before you knew it, the game was 73-69, and effectively over. Just like in the loss to Florida, Carolina was able to force misses late but was unable to grab defensive rebounds to give them a chance to win the game.
It was another game against a power conference opponent, that saw Carolina once again trail by double digits, trailing by as many as 11 in the second half. Louisville built a 37-31 lead at the half, as UNC tied a season-low for points in a half (they also scored 31 against Georgia Tech). A big reason for the low first-half point total was poor shooting, Carolina shot just 32% in the first 20 minutes, the second-lowest mark in a half this season. In the second half, UNC would score 39 points, on 50% shooting, but it wasn’t enough in the loss.
Seth Trimble wasn’t available for Carolina tonight, and his absence was sorely missed. Chucky Hepburn, the Wisconsin transfer was able to dictate things on both ends of the floor for the Cardinals, and Reyne Smith was able to get off a number of quality looks from the outside in the opening half, both guys you imagine would’ve been limited had Trimble been on the floor tonight.
The loss to Louisville drops Carolina to 2-6 in Quad 1 games, which means they don’t have a bad loss on their resume, but highlights how much this team struggles against quality competition. Pat Kelsey has done a fantastic job in his first season on the job restoring pride to the Louisville program, and a win would have UNC at 3-5 in Quad 1, believe me, there’s a big difference between 2-6, and 3-5, from an optics perspective when trying to impress a committee. Here’s what to take away from another disappointing result in a season that is trending towards being disappointing:
Late Game Execution: Once again, Carolina had a chance late to take control of the game and win it, but simply didn’t do so, and tonight is even more maddening because Louisville is the worst team they’ve lost to this season. Down by one, Carolina was unable to grab a defensive rebound, which would’ve given them a chance to take the lead late in the game. After failing to secure the defensive rebound, Carolina fouled a three-point shooter and went from down one to down four. Furthermore, on the next two possessions, Ven-Allen Lubin took an off-balanced shot, and threw the ball in the backcourt, taking away any chances of winning the game. Too often this year, Carolina has looked lost in the final minutes of a tight game, and ultimately that is a reflection of Hubert Davis, who has struggled to put his team in a position to win close games, whether they are on the road, at home, or on a neutral floor.
Slow Start: A common theme for this team has been its inability to start fast, and that was on display tonight, scoring 31 points, tied for a season-low, and shot 32%, the second-worst percentage in a half this season. Even though Carolina would respond with a better showing in the second half, a better start, would’ve lost likely resulted in a win.
Fouling: There is no denying that the officiating impacted the way the game was played, and Carolina’s inability to adjust to the tight whistle, combined with the lack of depth on the roster was too much to overcome, Carolina lost three players due to fouling out, including starters in Elliot Cadeau and Drake Powell, along with Cade Tyson, Powell scored 14 points with fouling out with under 4 minutes left, and Carolina missed his defense, and rebounding ability. For the game Louisville made 7 more fouls shots than Carolina and took 16 more, a hard combination to try to overcome when trying to win on the road.
Second-Chance Points: Neither team was dominant on the offensive glass, but Louisville did a better job converting on their second chances, scoring 11 second-chance points, compared to just 2 for the Tar Heels.
Ian Jackson: The ACC Rookie of the Week continued his stellar play, scoring 23 points, and was the biggest force behind Carolina’s comeback attempt. He was 7-15 from the field, 2-5 from behind the arc, and 7-11 from the foul line. Cooper Flagg will continue to get all the headlines, but Jackson is emerging as the best offensive rookie not just in the ACC, but in all of college basketball.
Up Next: Carolina is back on the road on Saturday, as they’ll play at Notre Dame. The game will
tip at noon on CBS.
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