A much-anticipated ACC matchup is bound to set your Monday night ablaze, as the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels travel to Kentucky for a showdown with the 16th-ranked Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center. The Tar Heels march into this contest riding a 12-game winning streak while the Cardinals enter as winners of four of their previous five games. Who will reign supreme in this one?
Let’s now take a closer look at this bout below. And if you’re yearning for some NBA action as well, you can check out our detailed preview of the: Orlando Magic at San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards at Oklahoma City Thunder.
[sc:MarchMadness ]North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Louisville Cardinals Preview
Where: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky
When: Monday, February 1, 2016, 7:00 PM ET
Line: North Carolina Tar Heels (+1) vs. Louisville Cardinals (-1)– view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the North Carolina Tar Heels (19-2, 8-0 ACC)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ] Who can stop North Carolina? The Tar Heels had yet another dominant double-digit victory on Saturday night as they defeated the Boston College Eagles by 27 points. Brice Johnson led the way with his 14th double-double of the season: 17 points and 11 boards.
With the win, the second-ranked Tar Heels have extended their unbeaten run to 12-straight games and still remain perfect in conference play with an 8-0 record. Up next other their schedule is an intriguing showdown with the No. 16 Louisville Cardinals. North Carolina is 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS in its last 10 road games.
Needless to say, Johnson, who boasts a team-best of 16.8 PPG and 10.2 RPG this season, will be striving to establish his presence in this one again. He’s been completely dominant over his past three games, during which he’s finished with at least a double-double. In particular, their game versus Wake Forest on January 20 was the most impressive one as Johnson erupted for 27 points and 11 boards while going 8-for-12 from the field.
Apart from him, Marcus Paige and Joel Berry II have also been able to help the Tar Heels pile up the points every game. Both players are averaging around 12 points apiece this season despite shooting the ball at a combined rate of 42 percent.
It’s worth noting, though, that the Tar Heels will have to be a little more creative and apply the necessary adjustments in breaking through one of the best defensive teams in the nation today. Louisville is surrendering just 60.0 points per contest.
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Betting on the Louisville Cardinals (17-4, 6-2 ACC)
The Louisville Cardinals saw their four-game run come to an end at the hands of No. 11 Virginia, who beat them on Saturday, 63-47. That was the first time this season that the Cardinals lost by double-digits. They’ll now look to quickly right their ship when the second-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels pay them a visit tonight.
That’ll be much easier said than done; however, as long as the Cardinals receive major productions from their dynamic one-two punch in Damion Lee and Trey Lewis, every game is winnable. The two lead the team in scoring with 17.2 points and 12.7 points respectively this season.
Lee, in particular, has been on fire as he’s finished in double-figures in four of his previous five outings. That stretch includes their game against Virginia Tech on Wednesday, during which he exploded for a season-high of 29 points along with five boards and six dimes.
As for the defense, the Cardinals, who are 9-1 SU and 5-4 ATS in its previous 10 home games, will put their trust on their center in Chinanu Onuaku to continue providing them an intimidating presence down low and ultimately prevent any easy shots near the cup. Onuaku is tallying team-bests of 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks while still managing to score 10.6 points this season.
Writer’s Prediction
UNC (-1) wins, 68-62.
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