North Carolina vs. Louisville: Key storylines for 2019-20 ACC matchup

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots over Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at the Dean Smith Center on November 06, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 76-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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LOUISVILLE, KY – FEBRUARY 19: David Johnson #13 of the Louisville Cardinals listens to head coach Chris Mack (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Both Louisville and North Carolina have had their issues lately. With a game in the Dean Dome on Saturday, here are some key storylines to watch.

Two ACC teams looking to right their respective ships will do battle Saturday in Chapel Hill when the No. 11 Louisville Cardinals enter the Dean Dome to face the North Carolina Tar Heels (10-16 ,3-12). Both teams have certainly had their struggles of late, with Louisville (22-5,13-3) snapping a two-game losing streak with a win against Syracuse their last time out, but that losing streak sort of sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise very successful season for Chris Mack and his team, with the losses being at Georgia Tech and Clemson.

A season that started with such promise, a 6-1 start after the Battle 4 Atlantis, it certainly hit the fan after that and when Cole Anthony went down with an injury, and since then the season has been an unmitigated disaster for Roy Williams and his team. Since beating Oregon in the Bahamas, the Tar Heels have gone a paltry 4-15 and even a returning Anthony hasn’t helped.

In November, a February Louisville game at North Carolina would be a hot ticket on Tobacco Road, but now it is just another game on the schedule, but for these two teams, this is an important tilt, as both could use some positive momentum heading towards the end of the season.

Louisville needs to re-establish their standing in the NCAA Tournament field and North Carolina can use all the positivity they can get as they head towards the ACC Tournament. Here are some key storylines in this key conference battle.

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