Louisville basketball vs. North Carolina gameday primer

The last time we attempted to preview a Louisville basketball game, it never happened. It was fiction. We made it up.

But, seriously, Louisville’s game against Syracuse was postponed on gameday Wednesday after a positive Covid test within the Cardinals’ program forced the game to be cut.

Just three days later, Louisville is set to take on North Carolina in an important ACC matchup.

With all of the Covid issues occurring, Louisville has not played a game since the Feb. 1 — a 19 day layoff.

Despite the game going on as scheduled, there is a great deal of question still in the air leading up to tip as it pertains to who will be available.

Louisville head coach Chris Mack presented his frustration on the matter as he wondered himself which players would be available.

“I don’t know who’s going to be available for the game tomorrow,” Mack said.

It remains a huge question mark heading in which makes this game itself quite difficult to project.

One of the key storylines to follow from this game is the grand return of senior forward Malik Williams after almost a year away from the floor. An exciting development for the team at a very weird time for the program.

There’s a lot happening here. So let’s breakdown what is coming on Saturday evening.

Previewing the matchup between Louisville and North Carolina

Who: Louisville Cardinals (11-4) at North Carolina Tar Hells (13-7)

Where: Dean E. Smith Center; Chapel Hill, North Carolina

When: Saturday, Feb. 20, at 6 pm eastern time

Spread: North Carolina -5.5

TV: ESPN

Important links

Louisville basketball: Status of available players up in the air

With Louisville basketball set to take the floor against UNC on Saturday, there are some concerns and confusion as to who could be available to play.

Malik Williams should be impactful in return

Louisville basketball head coach Chris Mack announced Friday evening that star forward Malik Williams would be making his return to the lineup Saturday.

Projected starting lineups (via gocards.com)

Louisville Cardinals (11-4, 6-3)

F 11 Quinn Slazinski 6-8 215 So. Houston, Texas

F 14 Dre Davis 6-5 220 Fr. Indianapolis, Ind.

C 24 Jae’Lyn Withers 6-8 215 R-Fr. Charlotte, N.C.

G 1 Carlik Jones 6-1 185 Gr. Cincinnati, Ohio

G 13 David Johnson 6-5 210 So. Louisville, Ky.

North Carolina Tar Heels (13-7, 7-5)

F 5 Armando Bacot 6-10 240 So. Richmond, Va.

F 15 Garrison Brooks 6-10 240 Sr. LaFayette, Ala.

G 1 Leaky Black 6-8 195 Jr. Concord, N.C.

G 2 Caleb Love 6-4 195 Fr. St. Louis, Mo.

G 24 Kerwin Walton 6-5 205 Fr. Hopkins, Minn.

Players to watch for North Carolina

F Armando Bacot – A true old-fashioned big that is very good around the rim and in the post. He’s as athletic as any big in the country and is an extremely efficient scorer at over 60 percent from the field. A big body at 6’10” 240-pounds that will be a handful for the Cardinals.

F Day’Ron Sharpe – He doesn’t start for the Tar Heels but he might be their most imposing presence of the three elite big men on their team. The freshman is a grown man at 6’11” 265-pounds. He’s another old fashioned big men that wins with muscle around the rim on both ends of the floor.

F Garrison Brooks – Another player that’s 6’10” for the Heels. For this reason, it’s going to be a really tough matchup. for the Cardinals to face these three because they’re all elite. Brooks was tabbed as the ACC preseason player of the year for the 2020-21 season. He hasn’t quite played to that level, but there is still plenty to be nervous about with Brooks. Unlike the previous two mentioned, Brooks can shoot the three.

Players to watch for Louisville

F Malik Williams – Of course we’re going to be watching Williams. Nobody outside Louisville’s building has seen him play since March of 2020. Not only will it be exciting to see him back in action, but he is going to be tasked with playing all of those great big men that North Carolina has. He’s being thrown into the fire a bit, but Williams has been one of the best defensive players in the ACC over the past couple of seasons.

Whoever is playing – We have no idea who is playing in this game, but Chris Mack did say that Williams would be one of them. The hope is that the team has their complete lineup in, but that seems far from a guarantee. Although, some positive news came out late last night before the Cardinals flew to North Carolina.

Final thoughts

In a game that is going to be most difficult to predict, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect. The Cardinals benefit greatly by a return for Malik Williams in this game specifically. Keep an eye on how many minutes he gets in this game as Louisville will try to match UNC’s size and skill inside.

With the return of Williams, where does that leave Jae’Lyn Withers and the rest of the lineup? If Louisville is down a few scholarship players, a loss is likely. So grasping to the previously stated ideas could be worth while.

Score prediction

IF fully healthy: North Carolina 62, Louisville 55

IF not healthy: Some sort of North Carolina blowout

I think this is pretty fair for an expectation. UNC is a team with a ton of size on the interior that will cause problems for the Cardinals. Add in the fact that it’s almost been three weeks since Louisville has played and that’s not a great recipe. If Louisville is without scholarship players, you can sign, seal, and delver the win for the Tar Heels.