CHAPEL HILL – As North Carolina guard Cormac Ryan said, ‘it’s not always going to be pretty,” and for a lengthy stretch of the Tar Heels’ game versus Louisville on Wednesday night, it wasn’t for the home team.

But, the fourth-ranked Heels regrouped and closed strong, hitting 9-for-14 from the field down the stretch turning a five-point lead with 12:39 remaining to an 86-70 victory at the Smith Center.

Some of the Tar Heels said they took their feet off the gas, which allowed the struggling Cardinals to get into a groove making a game of it. But they also credited Louisville for being persistent and taking advantage of UNC pulling back some.

RJ Davis led Carolina with 21 points, the 11th time this season he’s hit the 20-point mark. Armando Bacot added 19 points, plus he handed out five assists and blocked three shots. And Jae’Lyn Withers totaled season-highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds playing against his former team.

UNC won its seventh consecutive game improving to 14-3 overall and 6-0 in the ACC. Louisville dropped to 6-11 and 1-5.

Here are some noteworthy takeaways from UNC’s win over Louisville: