Kennedy Meeks added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels (24-5, 12-3), who strengthened their hold on first place in the league. UNC entered the night leading both Louisville and No. 10 Duke by a game, but stretched the lead by beating the Cardinals after the Blue Devils' lost at Syracuse earlier in the evening.
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The Tar Heels took over with a 13-3 second-half run to break a 40-all tie and led by 17 points late.
Donovan Mitchell scored 21 points for the Cardinals (22-6, 10-5), who didn't shoot well after halftime and struggled to make much of anything outside the paint.
Louisville made just 5 of 20 3-point attempts and 4 of 13 free throws.
UNC FAN EJECTED AFTER EXCHANGE WITH LOUISVILLE COACH RICK PITINO
The Tar Heels struggled to get into a rhythm for much of the first half against the Cardinals' physical defense. But they did a much better job after halftime of getting the ball in the paint, while their outside shooting was solid all night behind Jackson - who finished 7 for 16 from the field and made 4 of 9 3-point attempts.
Joel Berry II added 15 points for the Tar Heels, who had just 12 turnovers.
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The Cardinals' defense was good enough to fluster the Tar Heels, but their offense abandoned them. The outside shooting was particularly damaging, though the missed free throws - they started 0 for 6 - loomed large as the Tar Heels made their run.
The Tar Heels followed a weekend blowout of No. 18 Virginia with another home win against a ranked league team, continuing their push to finish atop the league's regular-season standings for a second straight season - and maybe a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Next up for the Tar Heels is a visit to Pittsburgh on Saturday.
The Cardinals host Syracuse on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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