
North Carolina picked up a massive victory last night over No. 24 Louisville, 77-74. Freshman star Caleb Wilson continues to be sidelined for the Tar Heels with his wrist injury, but that did not matter.
This win puts UNC one step closer to reaching a top-four seed in the ACC to secure a double bye in the ACC Tournament. There was a lot to like from the Tar Heels in the win over the Cardinals. This was one of the best performances as a team that UNC has put on the court this season.
Here are three takeaways from UNC’s win over Louisville.
There was a lot of talk about Seth Trimble’s performances once Wilson went down. All eyes and pressure immediately shifted to Trimble to step up. Well, he did just that against the Cardinals and led his team to the win.
Trimble had the best game of his collegiate career, as he finished with a career-high 30 points and shot an efficient 11 for 16 from the field. It was truly a special performance from Trimble, and UNC needed every single one of his points to knock off the Cardinals.
This game will serve as a sigh of relief for the Tar Heels and the fan base, as Trimble proved he can lead UNC during this stretch without Wilson. It also shows he can be a great second option when Wilson returns. Trimble waited for this moment, and he took it when the opportunity arose.
Zayden High proved once again that he deserves minutes, even when Wilson returns. High has seen significant minutes through the last four games, and he has proved himself night in and night out.
High did not light up the box score against the Cardinals, but he had multiple key moments that led UNC to the win. He was a factor in the first half, with big-time rebounds and finishes at the rim when the Cardinals were daring him to show that he could be effective with the ball.
He will serve as a key backup when Wilson returns, which is exactly what this team needs. The Tar Heels have lacked big man depth all season, but High is showing that he can solve this problem for UNC.
The Cardinals were projected to shoot a lot of 3-pointers, and they did that with 39 attempts from downtown. They were falling in the first half, but that did not sway UNC one bit. The Tar Heels stuck to their brand of basketball, which is why they got the win.
If UNC can control the paint, move the ball around and play with pace, this team can go far when March rolls around. The Tar Heels outscored the Cardinals 40-24 in the paint and had no answer for Trimble and Henri Veesaar down low.
The Tar Heels have the blueprint on what works for them, and if they can keep that up, then it could get scary for the rest of the country. Wilson will be on a mission when he returns, and everything is setting up to be an electric end of season for UNC.
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