By R.L. Bynum
Pittsburgh and frustration have gone together for North Carolina’s men’s basketball team since Jeff Capel took over as the Panthers’ coach.
Carolina was 13–3 against the Panthers before the former Duke player and assistant coach’s arrival. But after Capel split his first two games with Carolina, Pitt has won five of the last six meetings, including three straight wins since Hubert Davis became UNC’s head coach.
The No. 8 Tar Heels (9–3, 1–0 ACC) get a chance to change that trend at 7 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN) against a Panthers team (9–4, 0–2) that’s 2–4 against Power 6 programs (beating Oregon State 76–51 on Nov. 24 and West Virginia 80–63 on Dec. 6) and has played the 249th-toughest schedule.
Pittsburgh, picked ninth in the ACC preseason poll, has a NET ranking is 41, making this a Quad 1 game for UNC, which is favored by 2½ points. Four of the Panthers’ wins are Quad 3, and five are Quad 4.
It’s the first time UNC has played its first game on an opponent’s home court in January since 1954. Carolina will play six league road games this month, the first time the Tar Heels have done that since January 1952, in the Tar Heels’ final Southern Conference season.
The Tar Heels endured two particularly frustrating losses in physical contests last season by a total of three points— losing 76–74 while shooting 33% from the floor on Dec. 30 in Pittsburgh, and shooting 35% in a 65–64 home loss on Feb. 1.
Carolina will have to shoot better from the perimeter against Pittsburgh, which is fourth in the country in 3-point shooting percentage defense (25.3%). UNC combined to go 6 of 36 over the last three halves against Pitt (after halftime of the first game).
The Panthers were physical with Armando Bacot in both games and will likely make it tough for him inside again on Tuesday. Bacot overcame that with two double-doubles (22 points and 13 rebounds in the first matchup, and 15 points and 11 rebounds in the second game).
Pitt is the only ACC team with three players among the top 15 in blocks — 6–11 junior Federiko Federiko (19), 6–7 redshirt junior Zack Austin (17) and 7–0 sophomore Guillermo Diaz Graham (14).
Rebounding has been an issue for Carolina in many games, and it promises to be a challenge against Pitt.
The Panthers lead the ACC in rebounding (42.2 per game), rebound margin (+9.23) and defensive rebound percentage (78.6%). They are second in offensive rebounds (13.3 per game), defensive rebounds (28.9) and offensive rebound percentage (34.7%).
The good news for Carolina is that Jamarius Burton, who scored 31 points in Pittsburgh’s home win last season, graduated, along with fellow guards Nelly Cummings and Greg Elliott.
The floor leader this season is 6–5 guard Carlton Carrington, a four-star recruit and the three-time ACC freshman of the week. He is one of six players in the country averaging at least 14 points (14.1), five rebounds (5.3) and five assists (5.2). Carrington had a triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in his college debut on Nov. 6 against N.C. A&T (see above video).
Back from last season, and the focal part of the Panthers’ offense, is 6–8 senior forward Blake Hinson, who leads the team with 19.5 points per game and 46 3-pointers (ninth in the country) while shooting 43.8% from outside the arc (23rd).
With Leaky Black as the primary defender on Hinson last season, he only scored two points in the game at Pittsburgh but had 16 in Chapel Hill. Whoever gets that defensive assignment or switches onto him, will have to quickly close out on Hinson on the perimeter. He scored a career-high nine 3-pointers earlier this season on Dec. 6 at West Virginia (see below video).
In Syracuse’s 81–73 home win Saturday over the Panthers, though, the Orange held him to 11 points and 1-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.
Forcing Pitt turnovers could be a big key to the game. All four Panthers losses have come when Carrington has three or more turnovers. He had a season-high five, and Pitt had 15 turnovers — 10 in the first half — against Syracuse.
Subscribe to read Tar Heel Tribune ad-free
Subscribe for a cleaner, smoother reading experience without the flashing banners, slow-loading elements, or those especially annoying pop‑up ads that interrupt the flow of the story. You’ll also get the first version of each story emailed to you. The only ads you’ll see are static, non-intrusive ads for UNC‑related books, and there are none currently on the site.
NOTES — The crowd isn’t likely to be as wild as usual since spring semester classes at Pitt don’t start until Monday. … Kevin Brown and Corey Alexander will be on the ESPN call of the game. … Pitt is 4–11 all-time against No. 8 teams and has lost 15 consecutive games against top-10 teams since beating No. 8 Notre Dame on Jan. 31, 2015. … Carolina leads the all-time series with Pittsburgh 15–8. … When UNC played its first game on an opponent’s home court on Jan. 9, 1954, against Wake Forest, that was only the Tar Heels’ eighth game of the season. … UNC is 6–3 all-time at the Petersen Center.
UNC season statistics
Pittsburgh season statistics
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | Pittsburgh |
| Overall ranking | 12 | 45 |
| Offensive efficiency | 118.7 (9) | 110.9 (63) |
| Defensive efficiency | 96.2 (38) | 96.7 (45) |
| Effective FG% | 53.2 (66) | 52.5 (93) |
| Turnover % | 13.8 (14) | 14.4 (27) |
| Offensive rebound % | 31.3 (113) | 34.7 (49) |
| FTA/FGA | 42.9 (20) | 35.7 (120) |
| Strength of schedule | 28 | 249 |
UNC-Pitt series
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
| Date | Month/day | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 17 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 11 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 9 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 1 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at No. 25 Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 82–58 | at N.C. State | 20–6, 8–5 |
| 21 | Saturday | W, 77–64 | at Syracuse | 21–6, 9–5 |
| 23 | Monday | W, 77–74 | vs. Louisville | 22–6, 10–5 |
| 28 | Saturday | W, 89–82 | vs. Virginia Tech | 23–6, 11–5 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 67–63 | vs. Clemson | 24–6, 12–5 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 76–61 | at No. 1 Duke | 24–7, 12–6 |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte | |
| 12 | Thursday | L, 80–79 | Quarterfinals: vs. Clemson | 24–8 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 19 | Thursday | L, 82–78, OT | First round: vs. VCU in Greenville, S.C. | 24–9 |
Photo by Smith Hardy
