Louisville Cardinals vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, 2/23/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisville Cardinals vs North Carolina Tar Heels

Date: Monday, February 23, 2026

Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC

TV: ESPN

The Louisville Cardinals (20-7) are headed to Dean E. Smith Center on Monday where they will attempt to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels (21-6).

The Louisville Cardinals played Georgia Tech and went home with a win by a final score of 87-70 in their last contest. Concerning fouls, the Cardinals ended up walking away with 13 while Georgia Tech accumulated 16 fouls. They also knocked down 3 of 18 tries from beyond the perimeter. Georgia Tech finished the game shooting 91.7% from the charity stripe by converting 11 of their 12 tries. In addition, Georgia Tech had 29 rebounds (10 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Georgia Tech distributed 13 assists and had 9 steals for this contest. Regarding the defense, Louisville allowed 45.9% from the field on 28 out of 61 shooting. They also recorded 15 assists in this contest in addition to forcing 16 turnovers and having 11 steals. In regard to pulling down rebounds, they compiled 28 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Cardinals buried 19 of their 20 tries for a percentage of 95.0%. Louisville ended the game having earned a 51.9% field goal percentage (27 of 52) and knocked down 14 of their 31 shots from distance.

Mikel Brown Jr. is a player who was a contributor for this contest. He ended up finishing with 19 points on 5 out of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 31 mins played and also collected 4 boards. He finished 50.0% from the field and also totaled 2 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Louisville enters this contest with a win-loss record of 20-7 so far this season. They average 86.8 points per contest (14th in the country) while hitting 47.3% from the floor. The Cardinals are connecting on 36.1% on shots from beyond the arc (318 of 881) and 77.9% from the charity stripe. As a team, Louisville is pulling in 39.4 rebounds per contest and has tallied 480 assists on the season, which is 30th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.0 times per game and as a squad they are committing 18.4 fouls every game.

On defense, the Cardinals are forcing their opponents into 12.3 turnovers per game while drawing 18.4 fouls. They are ranked 64th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 326 relinquished for the campaign. The Cardinals defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 41.2% (673 of 1,633) and they concede 33.4 rebounds per game as a team. They give up 32.3% on shots from distance while they are 122nd in Division 1 in PPG allowed (71.8).

When they last stepped on the court, the North Carolina Tar Heels took home the win by a final score of 77-64 against Syracuse. The Tar Heels were able to collect 28 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 35 for the contest. They also gave up possession 10 times, while recording 5 steals for the contest. Syracuse committed 23 fouls for the game which got the Tar Heels to the free throw line for a total of 28 tries. They were able to knock down 15 of the free throw tries for a rate of 53.6%. In the matter of three-point shots, North Carolina knocked down 6 out of their 16 tries (37.5%). When the final whistle blew, the Tar Heels walked away from this one shooting 28 for 54 from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.9%. The Tar Heels allowed Syracuse to knock down 25 of 59 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 42.4% in this contest. They finished shooting 17.6% from three-point range by connecting on 3 out of 17 and finished the contest at 11 of 16 at the charity stripe (68.8%). Regarding how they rebounded, North Carolina allowed Syracuse to grab 28 in total (7 offensive).

Henri Veesaar was important for the Tar Heels for the game. He made 9 out of 13 for the game for a rate of 69.2%, and added 3 rebounds. He racked up 19 points in his 26 mins of playing time and had 1 assist in this matchup.

North Carolina has a record of 21-6 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Tar Heels are hitting on 47.2% from the field, which ranks 70th in the nation. North Carolina has totaled 2,180 pts for the campaign (80.7 per contest) and they average 38.8 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 16.3 times per contest (52nd in the country) and they cough up possession 9.4 times per game. The Tar Heels are committing 14.6 fouls per game and they hit 68.6% from the charity stripe.

The North Carolina defense concedes 33.9% on shots from distance (208 of 613) and opponents are converting on 69.6% of their foul shots. They relinquish 12.7 assists and 34.3 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 129th and 174th in the country. The Tar Heels on the defensive side of the court are 93rd in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 70.6. They are able to force 9.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.3% from the field (48th in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Louisville

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.