UNC faces physical Pitt Team!

by Sharon Thorsland

It wasn’t pretty but North Carolina got back in the win column on Saturday and now travels to Pitt to take on the Panthers in the first of two match ups over the next 11 days. The Tar Heels (13-8, 6-3 ACC) are coming off an overtime win against Boston College, while Pitt beat Syracuse to snap a four game losing streak. The Panthers are 4-4 in league play and 13-6 overall. Tip-off is set for 9:00 Tuesday on WBT.

Pitt is a similar team to UNC. The Panthers were ranked at one point this season and opened ACC play with a win but have gone 3-4 in conference play since. Turnovers have been an issue, they turned over the ball a combined 46 times in their four game skid. But they can score – the Panthers are averaging 80.2 points per game, that’s 41st in the country. Sophomore guard Jaland Lowe is Pitt’s top scorer, he’s averaging 17.7 points per game. He’s one of the most under-rated players in the ACC and has been even hotter over the last four games, pouring in 20.7 points a contest. Forward Zach Austin is a sharpshooter, hitting over 40% from behind the arc, and forward Cameron Corhen leads the team in rebounds. That’s an area where Pitt has struggled though – the Panthers have lost the rebounding battle in all of their losses this season.

The Tar Heels can score but they need to turn up the defensive effort. They’re allowing over 76 points per game, that’s 274th in the country, and were downright awful against Boston College, allowing the Eagles to shoot over 65% from the floor. That’s got to change for the Heels to beat Pitt. Another thing to keep an eye on is the play of UNC big man Jalen Washington. When he scores in double figures the Heels are 4-0 this season and 8-1 in his career.

This should be a good matchup, and it’s an important one for both teams. UNC desperately needs another Quad 1 win and could use some momentum going into Saturday’s showdown at Duke. The Tar Heels won both games against Pitt last season, including a seven-point win in the ACC Tournament semi-finals, and should extend that streak to three games. Go Tar Heels!