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Louisville hands North Carolina its sixth loss behind Chucky Hepburn’s 26 points

It hasn’t been the easiest start for North Carolina in 2024-25, as Hubert Davis’s squad lost its sixth game of the season Wednesday night in Louisville. Seth Trimble was out injured for this one, and the Tar Heels struggled to get production out of anyone not named Ian Jackson or Drake Powell. Jackson has been extremely impressive over the last three games while Powell has started to get his feet under him.

Jackson finished the evening with 23 points, marking his third straight game with over 20 points. With Trimble out though, Louisville keyed in on Elliot Cadeau and RJ Davis, who combined for 16 points on 5-19 shooting. Chucky Hepburn was the guy on both ends of the floor for the Cards, shutting down the Carolina stars while going for 26 points of his own. Hepburn made his living at the line, going 16-20 from the free throw line, and also showed off his playmaking ability with seven assists. Hepburn wasn’t the flashiest transfer of the offseason, but his new role with a new team has given him a chance to shine.

Both of these teams knew this game was important as ACC play begins to ramp up, but it was the Cardinals that took advantage of the home atmosphere. Louisville trailed for less than 30 seconds in the entirety of this one, holding off a handful of late surges from the Carolina guards. With just over five minutes to play, a Jackson and-one cut the Louisville lead to one, but the Tar Heels would fail to convert a field goal from that point on. As a result, the Cardinals finished the game on a 13-1 run, with a Reyne Smith (17 points) wing three-pointer with 2:12 to go being the dagger.

There’s still plenty of games to play in the ACC, but with limited opportunities to be had in conference play, it’s probably time to raise legitimate concerns about this UNC team. When RJ Davis isn’t on, the Tar Heels struggle, going 5-5 when Davis fails to reach 20 points. The way I see it, even with season-long injuries for Kasean Pryor and Koren Johnson, this Louisville team is setting itself up to be in position for an NCAA Tournament spot come March. The team hinges a lot on Chucky Hepburn, but the Wisconsin transfer has leveled up his game under Pat Kelsey and looks like one of the 5-10 best players in the ACC this season.

Other Things to Note:

• #11 UConn tops DePaul on the road behind Solo Ball’s 22 points
• Drake’s undefeated start comes to an end against UIC despite a 30-point performance from Bennett Stirtz
• Villanova completes late comeback with 22-1 on the road against Butler
• Duke Deen comes up big for Bradley in overtime road win over Indiana State
• #22 Illinois travels to Eugene for clash with #9 Oregon (10:00 ET, FS1)