UNC vs. Louisville: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 ACC Tournament

In Louisville's first game in the ACC tournament, North Carolina didn't exactly roll out the welcome mat. At the conclusion of a rigid game that went back and forth in the second half, North Carolina pulled out a 70-60 win to advance into the semifinals.          

The Tar Heels' basketball account provided a look at the final score from Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina:

Brice Johnson came on late for the Tar Heels but led all players with 22 points along with seven rebounds. Marcus Paige also tallied 13 points with five assists while going 3-of-6 from behind the arc.

The Carolina guard might not have had the season some expected, but he's still capable of putting on a show. One of his layups was a highlight moment in the game, via UNC Tar Heels:

Montrezl Harrell paced the Cardinals with his 13th double-double of the season and seventh in conference play. The mammoth forward scored 14 points and hauled in 12 rebounds, while guards Terry Rozier and Wayne Blackshear added another combined 32 points.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The two programs split the season series, with each team winning the home contest. North Carolina should have come away with victories in both matchups but couldn't hold on in the second half on Jan. 31 to earn the sweep. That ultimately led to the Cardinals clinching the No. 4 seed and the conference tournament double bye into the quarters.

However, the atmosphere in Greensboro—less than an hour away from Chapel Hill—wasn't exactly kind to the Cards. Louisville coach Rick Pitino pointed out the environment was similar to another team he regularly played in the Big East, via Syracuse Basketball's official account:

One way the Cardinals combated that energy from the Carolina faithful was through high-energy plays. At the start of the game, Louisville was all over the boards, outrebounding the second-best rebounding team in the country. The final tally, however, was even at 38-38 due to a late surge from the Heels.

Louisville turned some of those rebounds into transition buckets, such as this emphatic statement by Harrell, via ESPN College Basketball:

"

Montrezl Harrell went UP. Louisville & UNC are knotted up 50-50 early in the 2nd half. #ChampWeek http://t.co/pZVd1sAERl

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) March 12, 2015"

It might have been a pro-UNC atmosphere in Greensboro, but that dunk drew a reaction from everyone in the building. Powell Latimer of the News & Record offered his take on the alley-oop from Harrell:

Harrell may have been the star early in the second half, but Kennedy Meeks and Johnson had the final say. The two big men took over after that dunk from Harrell, combining for 16 points in less than 10 minutes to give the Tar Heels a 64-57 lead heading into the final media timeout.

Leading up to the contest, Andrew Carter of The News & Observer noted that the two big men needed to provide more down the stretch in games. They did just that, as Luke DeCock of the same publication jokingly pointed out:

Needing just two games to clinch their 26th ACC tournament title, the Heels will need both forwards to keep that production going.

Both Louisville and North Carolina are already locked into the NCAA tournament, so this didn't mean much outside of tournament seeding. Dropping out early might put the Cardinals behind teams from other conferences that make late runs, but they'll still have a chance at a high seed when Selection Sunday rolls around.

As for UNC, a tough battle lies ahead against No. 1 seed Virginia. The Cavaliers have lost just two games in the conference, with Louisville claiming a victory over the Hoos in the regular-season finale. Suffice it to say, the semifinal matchup will be another enticing showdown for the right to play in the ACC tournament championship.

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