The North Carolina Tar Heels (8-5) travel to face off against the Louisville Cardinals (8-5) on Wednesday, January 1st. This game will be played at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville and televised on ACCN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 6:00 ET.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs Louisville Cardinals

The Tar Heels Are Coming Off A Win

North Carolina improved to 8-5 on the season with a 97-81 win over Campbell on Sunday. The Tar Heels were heavy favorites at -28 but didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 178 exceeded the 155.5 O/U line.

UNC led 40-29 at halftime and scored 57 points in the 2nd half, but they allowed 52 points to Campbell after the break, which kept the game closer than expected.

The Cardinals Are Coming Off A Win

Louisville improved to 8-5 on the season with a 78-76 win over Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, December 28th. Playing at home, the Cardinals were heavy favorites at -21.5 but didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game were 154, just under the O/U line of 157.5.

Louisville led 46-37 at halftime but allowed 39 points in the 2nd half while scoring 32. The Cardinals will look to tighten up their defense and finish games more strongly moving forward.

Tar Heels Offense Breakdown

North Carolina’s offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 97 points with a field goal percentage of 57.1% and an effective field goal percentage of 65.1%. They were particularly dominant inside, hitting 74.3% of their two-point attempts, while connecting on 35.7% from beyond the arc. The Tar Heels also dished out 20 assists, with Elliot Cadeau leading the way with 12 dimes.

Colby Duggan was a standout performer, scoring 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. Ian Jackson added 26 points, and RJ Davis chipped in 23, hitting 5 threes at a 50% clip. Overall, Davis and Duggan each knocked down 5 triples in the win.

Cardinals Offense Breakdown

Louisville’s offense put up 78 points in their last game, shooting 37.5% from the field and 30.6% from three-point range, hitting 11 of 36 attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 46.9%, and they made 19 of 24 free throws, good for 79.2%.

George Kimble III led the way with 24 points, hitting 4 threes on 10 attempts. Devontae Blanton added 22 points, while Terrence Edwards Jr. contributed 20 points, shooting 50% from both the field and three-point range. Louisville also grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and dished out 12 assists.

Tar Heels Team Defense

North Carolina’s defense struggled, giving up 81 points on 57% shooting from the field. They allowed their opponent to hit 74% of their two-point attempts, with 26 makes on 35 shots.

From beyond the arc, their opponent shot 35%, connecting on 10 of 28 three-point attempts. North Carolina also sent them to the line 20 times, where they made 15 free throws, shooting 75%.

Cardinals Team Defense

North Carolina’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 81 points on 57% shooting from the field. They allowed the opposing team to hit 36 of their 63 shots.

Inside the arc, the Tar Heels allowed 74% shooting, with the other team making 26 of 35 two-point attempts. From three-point range, they gave up 10 threes on 28 attempts, a 35% success rate.

Tar Heels vs Cardinals Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, North Carolina has an ATS record of 5-0 while averaging 78 per game. The team went 4-1 overall in these games.
• Across their last three home contests, Louisville has a 2-1 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 1-2, while averaging 79 points per game.
• Looking back on the team’s last five games as the underdog, the Tar Heels have a straight up record of 2-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 3-2.
• Through their previous five contests as the betting favorite, the Cardinals have a strong record of 3-2. Their record vs the spread in these matchups is 1-4.

Tar Heels vs Cardinals Prediction

We’re putting our money on the Cardinals to win, and have the projected score sitting at 77-69. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Cardinals at -1.5.

As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 164.5 and our model has the Tar Heels and Cardinals finishing with a combined 146 points. Our pick is to take the under.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* 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.