No. 9 North Carolina avenge loss, topping No. 15 Louisville

North Carolina guard Kenny Williams (24) goes in for a layup over the defense of Louisville forward Dwayne Sutton (24) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Louisville, Ky., Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. North Carolina won 79-69. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This time around, No. 9 North Carolina returned to form against No. 15 Louisville.

The Tar Heels controlled rebounding, the inside and just about everything else Saturday to show how far they have come since their previous meeting with the Cardinals.

Luke Maye had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Cameron Johnson finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, helping North Carolina avenge a blowout loss with a 79-69 victory over Louisville.

“The biggest thing for us was to come out early and be ready to go,” Maye said. “We didn’t do that last time and I thought we did that today.”