No. 3 North Carolina tops Louisville in ACC quarterfinals

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Luke Maye had 19 points and nine rebounds, Coby White added 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists and No. 3 North Carolina beat Louisville 83-70 on Thursday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinals.

Cameron Johnson scored all of his 14 points in the first half to help the Tar Heels (27-5) extend their winning streak to eight games.

Dwayne Sutton had 14 points for Louisville (20-13). The Cardinals shot just 10 of 34 from 3-point range.

The Cardinals beat North Carolina by 19 on Jan. 12 in Chapel Hill - Roy Williams' worst home loss ever as Tar Heels coach - using their size and length to disrupt shooters and control the glass.

North Carolina had no trouble in the rubber match between the teams.

The Tar Heels got things going early and built a 45-35 lead at the half behind Johnson and White. The versatile Maye scored from down low and stepped out beyond the arc to display his silky smooth jumper.

The lead hovered around 10 for most of the second half until the Tar Heels got their transition game going with eight straight points on run outs - including four by Kenny Williams - to stretch the lead to 18 with 6:24 left.

BIG PICTURE

Louisville: Despite the loss, the Cardinals appear to have a good chance to get an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament as a 20-win team in a tough conference.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels arrived in Charlotte chasing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and got that effort going with a balanced scoring attack.

UP NEXT

Louisville: Will await word on an NCAA Tournament bid.

North Carolina: Will face the winner Duke-Syracuse winner in the semifinals Friday night.

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