Louisville Report

How to Watch: Louisville Cardinals vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

The Cardinals host the Tar Heels for their first game of the calendar year.

Matthew McGavic

Dec 28, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Chucky Hepburn (24) dribbles the ball against Eastern Kentucky Colonels guard George Kimble III (3) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville won 78-76.
Dec 28, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Chucky Hepburn (24) dribbles the ball against Eastern Kentucky Colonels guard George Kimble III (3) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville won 78-76. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After narrowly escaping Eastern Kentucky in their last time out, it's back to ACC play for the Louisville men's basketball program, and they'll be hosting North Carolina in their first game of the calendar year.

The Cardinals nearly suffered a disastrous loss to the Colonels in their final non-conference game of the season. Trailing in the final minute of the game, Louisville needed a go-ahead layup from Noah Waterman with 1.2 seconds left to be able to squeak by with a 78-76 win.

As for the Tar Heels, they've been up-and-down to start year four under head coach Hubert Davis. While North Carolina has fallen out of the AP Top 25, four of their five losses have come to teams ranked in the top-10 of KenPom's rankings. UNC also has a pair of resume-building neutral court wins vs. Dayton and UCLA.

This will be the 28th all-time meeting between Louisville and North Carolina, with the Tar Heels owning a 20-7 advantage. UofL is on a five-game losing streak in the series against UNC, having not won since a 72-55 decision on Feb. 22, 2019 at the KFC Yum! Center.

North Carolina Tar Heels (8-5, 1-0 ACC) at Louisville Cardinals (8-5, 1-1 ACC)

  • Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 6:00 p.m. EST
  • Place: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
  • TV: ACC Network - Play-by-play and analyst TBD.
  • Channel (Louisville)/Live Stream: Spectrum: 524; Dish: 402; DirecTV: 612.
  • Radio (Louisville): 93.9 FM - Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst).

(Photo of Chucky Hepburn: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic

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