The Tar Heels were in control throughout and pulled away with less than six minutes left to play in the second half with three fast-break buckets.
Coby White led UNC with 19 points seven rebounds and six assists. The impressive freshman point guard had just one turnover.
Dwayne Sutton had 14 points for Louisville (20-13). The Cardinals shot just 10 of 34 from 3-point range.
Senior Luke Maye also had 19 points, along with nine rebounds for the Tar Heels.
The Tar Heels led 45-35 at halftime and never trailed in the second half.
Up next for North Carolina is the semifinal matchup on Friday against rival Duke.