Lucas: Louisville Rapid Reactions

Arena Wides
University of North Carolina Men’s Basketball v Louisville
Dean E. Smith Center
Chapel Hill, NC
Monday, February 23rd, 2026
Dalton T. Wainscott

Photo by: DALTON WAINSCOTT

February 23, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas

Quick takeaways from the meeting with the Cardinals.

By Adam Lucas

1. Carolina got a huge home win over Louisville, 77-74. The Heels shot 61 percent in the first half and finished at 53.6 percent for the game.

2. Seth Trimble was ineffective in the first half at Syracuse. Since then, he has been terrific, including Monday night. His first half was a highlight reel, as he made seven of his 10 shots. Seven of those shots came from two-point range, as he continually made smart decisions about how to attack the Card defense. He had 16 in the first half on the way to a career-high 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting.

3. In addition to Trimble, though, essentially every Tar Heel was extremely effective. Henri Veesaar was big in the paint and was a team-high +15, Jarin Stevenson led the team in rebounding and steals, Luka Bogavac scored 12 points, Kyan Evans had three assists...it was a legitimate team win.

4. And then there was Zayden High. His story is turning into something that hasn't happened very often at Carolina. High was terrific in preseason practice. But he struggled to carry that impact over to games...until the Heels had to play without Caleb Wilson and Veesaar. Now, even with Veesaar back, fans are seeing much more of the version of High that was on the practice court in September and October. Even when he doesn't score a ton, his energy--including his steal and dive on the floor to secure a loose ball in the first half--is turning into an important part of the team's personality. Plus, he gives Hubert Davis more options on the post rotation depth, which he was desperately searching for in the first couple months of the season.

5. A great example of what High brings: in the second half, he had an offensive board that led to a Derek Dixon three-pointer. Then he blocked a shot, grabbed a defensive rebound and drew a foul. Those types of energy plays ignite the crowd and the team. High had four points, three assists and six rebounds in 16 minutes.

6. That crowd, by the way, was great. The Heels needed that win and the crowd treated it that way from the very beginning of the game. Carolina is now 16-0 at home this season and has won six of the last seven overall against Louisville.

7. Two nights after a 15-for-28 showing at the free throw line at Syracuse, the Tar Heels again struggled at the line, converting just 9-for-19. To his credit, Trimble stepped up and made two big ones with 12.3 seconds remaining to push it to a five-point lead.

8. Carolina played the end of the first half very well. Louisville called a timeout with 13.5 seconds left in a one-point game. But the Tar Heel had fouls to give, and burned a couple to prevent the Cardinals from setting up what they wanted to do and waste some time. The Cards eventually missed a three-pointer and High secured the defensive rebound. Those are the types of sequences that don't seem to mean much at the time but make a big difference in close games.

9. The Heels needed that win for postseason implications. It will be a nice chip for NCAA Tournament seeding, and it also gives them a head-to-head tiebreaker they might need for ACC Tournament seeding. The game was essentially an elimination contest for an ACC double bye. It's still going to be tough to get, but it's still in play because of the victory.

10. Credit to the marketing department for executing Monday night's stripe-out. It's harder than people realize to pull off all the aspects of a night like that, from the mechanics of distributing 21,000 shirts to working with the sponsors. Drew Read, specifically, was an integral part of making it happen, along with Michael Beale and the rest of the marketing crew

11. It was great to see Danny Green back in the Smith Center on Monday. Green, who is a rising media superstar in addition to being a 2009 national champion and three-time NBA champion, was in town to call the game for Compass Radio. You can also catch him on ESPN's NBA coverage and his extremely popular podcast. You'll also hear from him on Friday's Carolina Insider.

12. The Tar Heels continue the three-game homestand with a game against Virginia Tech on Saturday. As a reminder, that game's tipoff was long listed as TBA but is now set for 8:30 p.m. It's the final weekend game at the Smith Center this year.