UNC men's basketball rights the ship in 85-64 win against Pittsburgh

Coming off of a tough three-game road trip that doubled it's loss total for the season, the No. 9 North Carolina men's basketball team looked to rebound in a major way against Pittsburgh on Sunday. 

The Tar Heels looked to push the tempo from the opening tip after sluggish starts in past ACC games, and succeeded, cruising to an 85-64 victory. 

Behind the play of sophomore guard Joel Berry and their aggressive defense, the Tar Heels shot out to a 17-4 lead less than seven minutes into the game. 

Pittsburgh entered the game last in the ACC in 3-point defense, while UNC came in as the worst offensive team from long range. 

Something had to give, and as the first 20 minutes wore on, UNC consistently capitalized on open looks from behind the arc. The Tar Heels knocked down 5-of-9 from deep in the first half. Sophomore wing Justin Jackson knocked down both of his 3-point attempts en route to an eight-point first half. 

The Panthers began to find their footing, getting the lead down to as little as six points with 3:18 left in the first. But as it had earlier in the game, UNC ratcheted up the defensive intensity and turned Pitt over repeatedly. 

The Panthers had nine turnovers in the first, the last of which led to a 3-pointer from Marcus Paige which put the score at 42-27. 

UNC headed into the half with a 42-29 lead, its biggest lead after 20 minutes since Jan. 20 against Wake Forest. 

In the second half, North Carolina could do little wrong on the offensive end. 

The Panthers were able to chip away at the deficit to begin the second half, bringing the score to 48-41 with 14:52 remaining, but UNC scored the next 13 points to grow the lead to 20. 

Senior forward Brice Johnson, who put up a quiet seven points in the first half, scored 12 in the second to pace all players with 19 for the game. 

Around Johnson, Jackson and sophomore Theo Pinson acted as facilitators, combining for 12 assists and just two turnovers. 

UNC would hold a lead of 20-plus points for the majority of the game's final 10 minutes. Whenever the Panthers threatened to make a comeback, the Tar Heels would respond with a steal or a made basket to kill all momentum. 

With the win, the Tar Heels move to 10-2 in the ACC, one game ahead of No. 12 Miami, who will come to the Smith Center on Saturday in what could be a battle for first place in the conference. 

Quotable

"I was just happy to finish a daggum game. It was boring the other night." — Coach Roy Williams on his ability to remain on the Tar Heels' sideline for the entire game. Williams had to watch most of the second half of the Boston College game in the locker room after a bout with vertigo. 

Notable

The Tar Heels shot 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) from the free-throw line Sunday. This was North Carolina's best free-throw showing in terms of percentage since its 17-19 (89.5 percent) against Northwestern on Nov. 23. 

Three numbers that matter

26: The Tar Heels assisted on 26 of their 32 made field goals, the most in an ACC game this season. 

16: Against Pittsburgh, UNC scored 16 points off of fast breaks, more than in its last three games combined. 

53.3: North Carolina hit 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) 3-point attempts against Pittsburgh, its best percentage since the Tar Heels beat Maryland on Dec. 1. 

What's next?

North Carolina will host rival Duke at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

@jbo_vernon

sports@dailytarheel.com