UNC Basketball: Tar Heels pound Panthers on the road
UNC beat Pittsburgh on the road this afternoon. What did the Tar Heels do to walk out as winners against the hometown Panthers?
It’s amazing the difference a venue makes
After barely winning in Chapel Hill, North Carolina beats Pittsburgh at the Zoo, 85-67 on Pitt’s senior day. The win was the Tar Heels’ 25th of the season and their fourth double-digit victory in a row.
How did the game play out?
First Half
North Carolina led 40-28 at the half. The Tar Heels closed on a 29-11 run after the Panthers took an early 17-11 lead with about 12 minutes left in the first half. Justin Jackson led the way with a game-high 13 points after one half.
Otherwise, the half was fairly close. Both teams shot over 45 percent from behind the arc and over 60 percent from the charity stripe.
The big difference? The little things. The Tar Heels out rebounded the Panthers 21-12 in the first half. Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks combined for 11 of those, meaning they almost out-rebounded the Panthers themselves. UNC also out-assisted Pitt 13-5.
The other big first half news was that Isaiah Hicks only picked up one foul. The senior forward has been plagued with foul trouble recently, but stayed away from the calls in the first half. Hicks’ only foul came after he committed the first of UNC’s two turnovers in the first half.
Second Half
The Tar Heels continued their impressive rebounding in the second half. They finished with 48 rebounds compared to just 28 for Pittsburgh. UNC also grabbed 24 offensive boards, a season high, and 60 percent of their missed field goals.
The Tar Heels were led by Justin Jackson who finished with 23 points and six rebounds. UNC also got big games from Kennedy Meeks, who had his second straight double-double, and Joel Berry II, who finished with 19 points on 4-of-9 shooting from behind the arc.
The Tar Heels also finished with 23 assists on 33 made shots. The Panthers only had 10 assists and were held to just 39 percent shooting from the floor.
The Tar Heels did commit three consecutive turnovers that led to a couple of highlight reel dunks by Cameron Johnson. This got the fans into it, but the Tar Heels were able to weather the storm and rebuild their lead. UNC finished with eight turnovers for the game.
Pitt did get a big game from senior duo Michael Young and Jamel Artis. The twosome finished with a combined 34 points, nine rebounds, and six assists for the Panthers.
Pitt also got a solid performance from Rozelle Nix. Nix is one of the few guys who can make Kennedy Meeks look small and he used that size to cause problems for the Tar Heels’ interior. Nix got the opportunity due to foul trouble from senior Sheldon Jeter, who fouled out with six minutes left.
The win means several things for the Tar Heels. First, it clinches a double-bye for UNC in the ACC Tournament. A double-bye means UNC only has to win three games to win their second consecutive ACC Tournament title.
Second, it clinches a share of the ACC regular season championship for the Tar Heels. UNC is now just one victory away from clinching the ACC outright for the second consecutive season.
Things are good for the Tar Heels. However, they don’t have long to enjoy it. They’ll travel to play Virginia on Monday night in Charlottesville, a place UNC has not won at since 2012. Win and the ACC is theirs. Lose, and it all comes down to Duke.
What else is new?