Preview: Louisville's Ranked Matchup at North Carolina

As quickly as the Louisville men's basketball program made their return to the KFC Yum! Center, they're already heading back on the road, this time heading to Chapel Hill on a short turnaround for a ranked matchup against North Carolina.

Last Tuesday, the Cardinals saw their five-game winning streak get snapped with a 95-85 loss at SMU. However, in their last time out at home against Georgia Tech for Senior Day, Louisville was able to take a step back in the right direction, earning an 87-70 victory this past Saturday.

UofL had a great shooting night against GT, connecting on 51.9 percent of their attempts from the field and going 14-of-31 on three-point tries. Although they turned it over a season-high 18 times, and let the Yellow Jackets shoot 45.9 percent and notch 40 points in the paint. Mikel Brown Jr. led the way with a game-high 19 points, and four Cards cracked double figures scoring.

As for the Tar Heels, while they are having an overall good season in year five under head coach Hubert Davis, they have been a tad up-and-down as of late. They've split their last four games, losing at Miami and getting blasted at NC State, although they did take down Syracuse 77-64 in the JMA Wireless Dome this past Saturday in their last time out.

Part of their recent shakiness comes from the fact that they have been far from healthy, as star freshman forward Caleb Wilson and standout center Henri Veesaar - who are both No. 1 and 2 in scoring and rebounding for UNC - were both injured in the Feb. 10 game at Miami. Veesaar returned for Carolina's past game at Syracuse, but Wilson remains out with a fractured non-shooting hand.

This will be the 29th all-time meeting between the two programs, with the Tar Heels holding a 20-8 advantage. That being said, it was the Cardinals who emerged victorious in the last meeting, earning an 83-70 win on New Year's Day last year at the KFC Yum! Center. However, UofL is 1-7 in the Dean Dome, with their lone win coming back on Jan. 12, 2019 on an 83-62 decision.

No. 21 Louisville Cardinals (20-7, 9-5 ACC) at No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels (21-6, 9-5 ACC)

• Date/Time: Monday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. EST
• Place: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
• TV: ESPN - Play-by-play and analyst TBD.
• Channel (Louisville)/Live Stream: Spectrum: 31; Dish: 140; DirecTV: 206.
• Radio (Louisville): 93.9 FM - Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst).