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The Daily Tar Heel

The key factor that helped UNC men's basketball beat Louisville, 79-69

Louisville Kenny Williams
Senior guard Kenny Williams (24) shoots the ball during the game against Louisville at the Smith Center Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019. Louisville beat UNC 83-62.

The North Carolina men’s basketball team had never lost to a team by more than 20 points, then beat that same team by more than 10 in the same season. 

But the Tar Heels managed to do that for the first time on Saturday with a double-digit victory over Louisville. North Carolina found an advantage in the revenge game by consistently rebounding off the glass — something it could not do the last time it faced the Cardinals.

In the opening half against Louisville, North Carolina did not allow its opponent a single offensive rebound. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels brought down 16 more rebounds as they took hold of a 16-point lead.

That boded well for UNC, which has now won five games in a row since losing to Louisville in January. The team has won 11 games in a row while holding a positive rebounding margin — including a 49-32 advantage against the Cardinals. 

One of the more important aspects of that rebounding advantage was the Tar Heels' ability to bring down offensive rebounds. The program has won 14 of 17 games when it out-rebounds its opponent on the offensive end, and that record was improved against the Cardinals. 

Eighteen offensive rebounds isn’t necessarily out of the ordinary this season for Roy Williams’ program, but those boards directly led to more baskets on Saturday. Those offensive rebounds translated to 18 more second-chance points in the direction of North Carolina.

In a game where UNC led by almost 20 and won by 10, that difference alone was enough for the victory. On the season, the Tar Heels boast a plus-10 rebounding margin over opponents per game. 

That skill benefitted North Carolina in a revenge game Saturday and it will continue to be key as the team heads into the heart of ACC play. 

@_jackfrederick