Fresh off an impressive second-round win over Wake Forest, the Pitt Panthers (24-8, 11-7) will face the North Carolina Tar heels (23-8, 13-5) in a third round match up Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. in Greensboro, North Carolina.
This is the second trip to NC to play the Tar Heels this season, the first being a hard fought 75-71 loss in Chapel Hill on February 15th. Turnovers and the inability to gain a rebounding edge doomed the Panthers, who still seemed shell-shocked by the heartbreaking loss to then top ranked Syracuse on 35-foot runner by Tyler Ennis three days earlier.
James Michael McAdoo led all scorers with 24 points and added 12 rebounds. First-team All-ACC performer Marcus Paige chipped in with 18 points, which included five 3-pointers. The Tar Heels shot nearly 50 percent from the field, and were able to stay even with the Panthers in rebounding as each team collected 40 total.
After an unusual 0-3 start in ACC play, the Tar Heels rebounded in a big way, going 13-2 down the stretch, including a win against their hated rival, the Duke Blue Devils.
McAdoo and Paige lead a talented rotation that generally goes seven deep. McAdoo averages 14.2 ppg along with 6.6 rpg. Paige’s 17.1 ppg is seventh best in the conference, and he is playing better as the season has progressed.
In all, the Tar Heels have four players who average in the double-digits, with guard Leslie McDonald and forward Brice Johnson both averaging just over 10 ppg. Forwards J.P. Tokoto and Kennedy Meeks add interior defense and rebounding.
The Tar Heels are among the top teams in the nation in rebound margin, ranking among the top 25 statistically. Pitt is also among that top 25 and this game in no small part will come down to the Panthers ability to win the battle on the boards.
As for Pitt, if yesterday’s impressive 84-55 blowout win against Wake Forest is any indication, the Panthers should be ready to give the No. 15 ranked Tar Heels all they can handle. Outstanding performances by Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna, along with important contributions by Michael Young and Josh Newkirk, should give the Panthers plenty of confidence going into their game with UNC.
It will be critical to protect the ball much better than they did in their first match up where they committed an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers. The will also need to find a way to get scoring from someone other than Lamar Patterson, something that has been an issue throughout much of the season.
It would seem that the first team to 70 points will have a decided edge advancing to the ACC semifinals. If the Panthers are able to beat UNC and advance, they will play the winner of FSU-Virginia match up on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM.
