A strong second-half start for the North Carolina Tar Heels was found to be too much to overcome as the Louisville Cardinals fell in disappointing fashion, on the road in Chapel Hill. Louisville got down by as much as 16 points in the second half, however, they kept fighting and finding a way to keep things close down the stretch. Ultimately, North Carolina made the plays they needed to pull out the victory and send Louisville on to Clemson with a loss.
The loss makes the rest of the season even more important for Louisville, as it is still trying to beef up its resume and find more Quad 1 wins. Games at Clemson and Miami to end the season are good opportunities for the Cardinals to find more wins. However, after tonight’s loss, the odds of the Cards going 2 for 2 seem to be growing ever more dim. Louisville had hit a hot streak just a few weeks ago, but the Cardinals appear to be cooling off right before the most important stretch of the season.
Here are 4 honest takeaways from Louisville’s brutal loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels.
4. The game was called physically, and Louisville floundered
It’s very rare to see a half where a team does not attempt a single free throw. That was the exact case Louisville found themselves in by halftime, with North Carolina only attempting 6 free throws themselves. The referees established early on that they would let these 2 teams be physical and let the play on the court do the talking. This goes against every fiber of Louisville’s being this season.
The physicality of the game caught up to Louisville, as North Carolina increased the intensity to start the second half. Louisville struggled to find good open shots and failed to get to the rim on drives. It was a struggle to get much of anything going on the offensive end of the Cardinals, especially in the shooting department. It’s another testament to the kryptonite of this Louisville team: being pushed around and showing a little bit of physicality.
3. Louisville’s struggles on the road continue
It’s been a storyline the whole season for this Cardinals team. Louisville simply struggles against talented teams, especially on the road. Of Louisville’s eight losses, six have come on the road (ranked Duke and Virginia teams are the exception). Tonight is just another notch towards that ever-growing trend.
Louisville showed that they could answer the fight, especially in the first half. However, North Carolina, with the backing of their home crowd, raced out to a major lead (16 at one point) in the second half and never looked back. Louisville’s composure during these moments is visibly shaken, and the confidence of most of the teams appears to be lower than the floor itself.
This trend has the potential to yield more similar results as Louisville’s schedule comes to a close. 2 of the 3 remaining games are on the road, at Clemson and Miami. These tests will give Louisville 2 more chances to show the tournament committee that they can overcome this label as a road-struggling team. However, given how this season has gone and their most recent result, that flip in the narrative does not seem likely.
2. Mikel Brown Jr., J’Vonne Hadley, and Ryan Conwell cannot do this alone
The only three bright spots on the offensive end for the Cardinals were the three guys who have been the focal points most of this second half of the season, Mikel Brown Jr., J’Vonne Hadley, and Conwell. Brown posted 24 points while Hadley added 14 points, and Conwell added 23 points on a night where there was very little assistance from the rest of the team to be found.
Brown’s shooting percentage was by no means special (9 for 25, 36%). However, due to the lack of additional offense, Brown was forced into many of those shots, especially since others were unable to find their shooting opportunities on the floor. With his hot streak recently on the offensive end, most Card fans would want Brown to be the offensive leader and shot-caller for this offense.
Hadley performed as he always does, in the shadows and as consistently as ever. He does the things on the floor that the team absolutely needs, especially against bigger competition down low. He is a competitor and never stops playing hard and physically. Hadley is easily playing his best basketball of the season alongside Mikel Brown Jr.
Conwell stepped up his game in the second half. In moments where it appeared that North Carolina would leave Louisville in the dust, Conwell stepped up with massive shots or plays on the offensive end that kept the Cardinals hanging around late. He has been an absolute stud for this team all season; the end of the season has been no different.
1. Louisville is a talented team that falls short against the top teams
Louisville’s roster is full of talent. Everywhere you look, there are sharpshooters to spread the floor and a 5-star point guard to run the offensive show. However, that simply is not enough when Louisville goes up against talented teams with talent and physicality. The Cardinals take care of business when they play a team at or below their level. The moment they find themselves up against a team that can outmatch them with their size and strength, they simply cannot overcome that obstacle.
That makes looking to March even more difficult, as the matchup and the bracket placement will mean the world to the Cardinals and their potential ceiling for the NCAA tournament. When this team is hot from the outside, they can play and beat any team in the country. The problem is, these hot shooting performances don’t come against teams with size and strength. The shots aren’t found, and the offense stalls as a result. Louisville will have a few more opportunities to start rewriting this narrative, but for now, the results speak for themselves.