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Louisville basketball: Cards look to sweep UNC in Ali themed uniforms

By Andy Harrell

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 12: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels battles Christen Cunningham #1 of the Louisville Cardinals for a loose ball during the second half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on January 12, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Louisville won 83-62. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 12: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels battles Christen Cunningham #1 of the Louisville Cardinals for a loose ball during the second half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on January 12, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Louisville won 83-62. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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UNC is notably one of the nation’s top rebounding teams. They are 2nd in the country, averaging better than 43 a game.

The Cardinals have conversely been up and down in their pursuit of the basketball from game to game but still find themselves in the nation’s top 60 teams at doing so, averaging better than 38 boards a game.

The battle here will, no doubt, be a deciding factor Saturday. While the Tarheels rebound fervently at every position, a Louisville team, at home, against a Top 10 opponent should have the energy advantage.

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Beyond rebounding, a key story line in the paint will be UNC’s post defense. Key backup forward Sterling Manley(6-11), has been ruled out for the contest with a sore knee. This leaves just one player, Garrison Brooks, in the UNC rotation capable of defending Louisville’s double headed center duo of Malik Williams(6-11) and Steven Enoch(6-10).

The Heels should be specifically worried about Enoch, who is both offensively a matchup problem against the UNC roster and has also caused problems for Carolina on the defensive end in past meeting. While Enoch is historically no game changer on the defensive side of the ball, his large physical presence disallowed for a UNC game plan that looked to run the ball through Carolina upperclassmen, Luke Maye.  Maye was simply relegated to moving away from the basketball and looked incredibly uncomfortable doing so in these teams’ previous meeting.

Who will emerge down here for UNC, if anyone? And will they be able to compete physically with a young and talented Louisville front-court?

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