With no quarter one wins, UNC’s NCAA Tournament resume coming into Wednesday night’s matchup against Pitt was already thin – double digit blowouts to tournament-bound Purdue, Tennessee, Kentucky, Miami, Wake Forest and Duke are not what the selection committee likes to see. But somehow the fan-favorite Tar Heels still had a chance to make the big dance. Those hopes are now on life support after a 76-67 loss to 11-16 Pitt at the Dean Dome.
UNC had to claw their way back to within six after trailing by as much as 21 in 2nd half. But why were the 18-8 Heels down by 20 at home to a struggling Panthers’ team in the first place? It’s question that head coach Hubert Davis had a hard time answering.
“I don’t know what transpired. I know that our practice Monday wasn’t very good, and I got after them about attention to detail and preparation in practice. Tuesday was better, but not where I wanted it to be….We just didn’t play the way that I hoped, anticipated, or thought that we would play. With so much to play for, so much motivation to compete and have fun…I’m just very disappointed.”
Consistency has been an issue with the Heels all season. One night they’re blowing out Florida State and the next they’re struggling against Pitt.
“I feel like get we complacent,” senior guard Leaky Black said after the loss. “We all saw the big-time win we just had against Florida State. When we’re all playing good and locked in we can do stuff like that, but then we come out and lay an egg like we did tonight. It’s just too up and down. We really have to find a way to be more consistent down the stretch.”
The stretch doesn’t get much easier for the Heels, who play three of their last five regular season games away from the Dean Smith Center. UNC would have to get at least two wins on the road against Virginia Tech, NC State or Duke, win both home contests against Syracuse and Louisville, and win at least one game at the ACC Tournament in Brooklyn to have any chance at making the Big Dance. It’s possible, but you never know which Heels team will take the court and that’s what makes it highly unlikely.
Game Notes:
UNC Scoring Leader: Caleb Love 19
UNC Rebound Leader: Brady Manek 10
UNC Assist Leader: Armando Bacot 4
Team Records: UNC 18-8, 10-5 ACC; Pittsburgh, 11-16, 6-10 ACC
- Carolina is 13-2 at home this season.
- The Panthers led 40-23 at the half. The 17-point deficit tied the third-largest for UNC in the Smith Center and was the largest since 1/4/2020 when Georgia Tech led 47-27.
- Carolina shot 27.6% in the first half, its second-lowest in any half in the Smith Center. It was the third time UNC ever shot under 30 percent in a half in the Smith Center.
- The Tar Heels then doubled their field goal percentage in the second half when they shot 55.2% from the floor.
- Pittsburgh scored 20 points off 10 UNC turnovers in the first half.
- The Panthers scored only two points off turnovers in the second half when UNC outscored Pitt by eight.
- The 22 points off turnovers were the most by an opponent since Miami scored 30.
- Armando Bacot had eight rebounds tonight and has 804 in his career.
- Kerwin Walton made three three-pointers and scored 11 points. It was the first time he made three or more 3FGs in a game and scored in double figures since he made four threes and totaled 14 points at Charleston on November 16.
- Leaky Black had 11 points, the fourth time in the last eight games he scored in double figures.
- Brady Manek had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double as a Tar Heel and 10th of his career.
Series Notes
- Carolina is 15-6 against the Panthers, including 8-5 since Pittsburgh began ACC play in 2013-14.
- Carolina is 7-2 at home, including 6-2 in the Smith Center, versus the Panthers.
Next Game: Saturday at Virginia Tech, 4 p.m. (ESPN2)
Slow Starts Continue to Plague Tar Heels