LAS VEGAS – North Carolina, winners of 14 straight games, has captured its first three tournament games by an average of 30.3 points.

The Tar Heels also have the luxury of meeting Louisville in Charlotte Bobcats Arena, which is located about two hours from Chapel Hill. North Carolina is 7-0 lifetime at this venue and 24-1 in NCAA Tournament games played in its home state.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino has his own impressive tournament history. His teams are 8-0 in Sweet 16 games. The Cardinals have won and covered 12 of their past 14 contests.

The third-seeded Cardinals knocked off Tennessee on Thursday night as two-point favorites, 79-60. The combined 139 points dipped ‘under’ the 145-point closing total.

Earl Clark was huge for Louisville against the Volunteers, scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. The sophomore has led Louisville’s balanced attack by averaging 15.3 points in three tournament games.

Louisville’s zone defenses and pressing backcourt pressure held Tennessee to 34-percent shooting from the floor, keeping the Volunteers 22 points under their regular-season scoring average of 82 points. Tennessee could make just 5-of-20 shots from beyond the arc.

Terrence Williams and Andre McGee led the Cardinals with 13 points apiece. Center David Padgett contributed 10 points and eight rebounds. Louisville out-rebounded Tennessee, 43-28.

“I’ve been coaching a long time and never has the tempo of the game been dictated so much by an opponent,” Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl said about Louisville following the game.

Pitino has won an NCAA title and taken three schools to the Final Four, including Louisville in 2005.

North Carolina is bidding for a record 17th trip to the Final Four. The Tar Heels set a school record with their 35th victory on Thursday, rolling past Washington State as eight-point favorites, 68-47. The combined 115 points fell well ‘under’ the 140-point closing total.

The Tar Heels held the Cougars 20 points below their average. Washington State missed 14 of 16 shots from 3-point range. It was the lowest point total North Carolina allowed in an NCAA Tournament matchup since 1946.

Tyler Hansbrough led the Tar Heels with 18 points, including 16 in the second half. Danny Green chipped in with 15 points. It’s the second straight year that North Carolina has reached the round of eight.

The ‘over’ is 7-4 in North Carolina’s last 11 games. The ‘under’ is 5-1 during Louisville’s last six matchups.

March 29, 2008