Louisville vs North Carolina Monday game in Chapel Hill: rankings, records, injuries and matchup context

Top-25 ACC matchup scheduled for Monday night

Louisville men’s basketball is set to play at North Carolina on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. The game is slated for national television on ESPN.

Both teams enter the matchup ranked and separated by a narrow margin in the ACC standings. Louisville arrived with a 20–7 overall record and a 9–5 mark in conference play. North Carolina came in at 21–6 overall, also 9–5 in the ACC.

How each team has been performing entering the game

Louisville’s recent stretch has featured high-scoring outputs and a series of wins, including victories over Baylor (82–71), NC State (118–77), Wake Forest (88–80), Notre Dame (76–65) and SMU (88–74) earlier in February and late January.

North Carolina’s recent results included a win over Pittsburgh (79–65), a loss at Miami (75–66), and wins over Duke (71–68), Syracuse (87–77) and Georgia Tech (91–75).

• Louisville season scoring: 86.9 points per game; points allowed: 70.9
• North Carolina season scoring: 81.8 points per game; points allowed: 70.4

Key personnel and statistical leaders

For Louisville, guard Ryan Conwell has been the leading scorer, averaging 18.7 points per game. The Cardinals’ profile has also been shaped by perimeter volume: the team has been averaging 11.8 made three-pointers per game while shooting 36.1% from beyond the arc.

For North Carolina, Caleb Wilson has been the team’s top scorer and rebounder at 19.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. North Carolina entered the contest unbeaten at home (15–0), a defining marker for a team that has built much of its résumé in Chapel Hill.

Injury status that changes the matchup

Wilson is expected to miss the game with a hand injury, removing North Carolina’s top producer from the lineup. North Carolina has also been monitoring frontcourt availability; center Henri Veesaar recently returned from a two-game absence and scored 19 points in a road win at Syracuse, a development that has helped stabilize the Tar Heels’ interior rotation.

What is at stake in the ACC race

With both teams carrying identical 9–5 conference records into Monday, the outcome is positioned to affect tiebreakers and seeding in the ACC tournament. Louisville’s remaining schedule is road-heavy, with three of its final four regular-season games set away from home, increasing the importance of road opportunities against direct conference competitors.

Tipoff: 7 p.m. ET, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026 — Venue: Dean E. Smith Center (Chapel Hill) — TV: ESPN