Louisville vs. UNC: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

In their first meeting as ACC opponents, No. 18 North Carolina got the best of No. 5 Louisville, 72-71, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Saturday afternoon. UNC junior guard Marcus Paige was held down much of the afternoon, but he came away with the game-winning layup with just 8.1 seconds remaining.

Carolina Basketball provides a look at the final score and the scene inside the locker room after the game:

Kennedy Meeks led the Heels in scoring, but Brice Johnson made a statement of his own with a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) against Louisville. Ultimately, it was Paige (10 points, three assists) who stole the show with the final shot.

ESPN provides a look at the huge shot from Paige and Dick Vitale's tribute to the late Stuart Scott:

The biggest matchup of the game centered on Montrezl Harrell going up against Meeks. Harrell struggled early, finishing with just nine points and five rebounds. Meeks outshined Harrell and finished with 13 points and six rebounds of his own.

The biggest stars for Louisville were on the wing, though, with both Chris Jones and Terry Rozier exploding offensively for a combined 44 points on 18-of-33 shooting. Nick Burch of ESPN 680 passed along his thoughts on the Cards' dynamic backcourt:

Louisville coach Rick Pitino has enjoyed success against nearly every program in the country during his long career as a coach. However, he still has never beaten the Tar Heels, per ESPN Stats & Info:

One of the focal points for Louisville coming into the game was playing sound defense on the road. The Cardinals had not lost away from home this year, but UNC was clearly their toughest test to date. Prior to the game, Pitino spoke about his team's defense, via Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal:

Louisville's defense was strong throughout the game, but the Cards couldn't come up with crucial stops down the stretch.

Coming into the game, both teams were ranked inside the top five in rebounds, with both averaging over 41 per game. The Heels had the 18-10 edge early with six minutes remaining in the first half, but Louisville climbed back in the category late.

Ultimately, the advantage on the boards went to the Heels, 38-30, thanks to help from their freshmen. Justin Jackson showed off some of his ability down low with eight points and fought for four rebounds. Lauren Brownlow of Fox Sports offered her take on the freshman's play:

Thanks to their effort early on, the Heels were tied with the Top Five team at 34-34 heading into the half. However, any momentum Carolina built was squandered by allowing a Louisville run in the second half.

The Cards built a 49-40 advantage at the start of the second, and things appeared to get worse for Carolina when Marcus Paige went down with an apparent injury. Bret Strelow of the Fayetteville Observer noted the ankle injury for Paige:

Andrew Carter of The News & Observer passed along more on Paige's ailment:

Paige would ultimately return to the floor and made a huge three that started a 12-4 run to get the Heels back in the lead at 70-69 with 36.5 seconds remaining. The Heels' leader then slashed to the bucket for a huge layup to win it.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports noted the reaction following the massive shot:

UNC coach Roy Williams also referenced Paige's resilience down the stretch despite the injury:

The loss is a hard one to swallow for Louisville, as it falls in the ACC standings and likely outside of the Top Five in the rankings come Monday. With plenty of season left and several chances to ascend back to the top of the rankings, however, the Cardinals still have the look of a team that can compete in the conference.

Coming away with a victory is huge for UNC, which was able to make a statement in Chapel Hill. The early contest will set the stage for what might become yet another heated rivalry in the ACC. Both programs clash again on Jan. 31, giving the Heels a chance to pull off the season sweep.

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