No. 12 UNC men's basketball edges past Pittsburgh, 80-78

The No. 12 North Carolina men’s basketball team defeated Pittsburgh, 80-78, on Tuesday night in the Smith Center.

What happened?

Justin Jackson and Joel Berry were a dream team for UNC in the first half. When the Panthers closed the gap to trail 29-28, a Berry 3-pointer restored momentum to North Carolina. Later on, back-to-back threes from Berry and Jackson extended the Tar Heel lead to 38-30 — the largest lead of the half — forcing a Pittsburgh timeout. The two combined for 22 of UNC’s 42 points in the half.

At first, it looked like UNC would break ahead of the Panthers, as the Tar Heels took a 47-38 lead at the start of the second half. But Pittsburgh quickly closed the gap, briefly tying the game on a 3-pointer and coming within one point with a dunk by Michael Young moments later.

But the Tar Heels fought on, eventually building up a comfortable lead, thanks to some makes by Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks and a Luke Maye three.

Pittsburgh started to close the gap again, pulling within three with just under five minutes remaining while North Carolina went on a four-minute field goal drought. Still, UNC held on, riding free throws to cling to the lead — until Pittsburgh pulled within one with two minutes remaining.

Berry and Jackson turned the game around, with a pair of layups and a rebound by Jackson to give UNC possession and set up Nate Britt to sink his free throws. Jackson and Hicks sealed the win with one more free throw apiece to put Pittsburgh out of reach.

Who stood out?

Justin Jackson was a key contributor on both ends of the court, totaling 20 points and six rebounds, four of which were on the defensive end.

After only putting up six points and four rebounds in the first half, Isaiah Hicks came alive in the second half. He finished the game with 18 points, eight rebounds and plenty of makes that brought the Smith Center crowd to its feet.

Cameron Johnson was an offensive force for Pittsburgh. He ended the game with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting — including six 3-pointers to keep the Panthers in the game.

When was it decided?

With just under two minutes remaining, Pittsburgh pulled within one as UNC missed nine consecutive field goals. But this was when the Berry and Jackson pulled through for UNC. Berry sank a layup and drew the foul to claim the lead, and Jackson followed him with a layup of his own and a defensive rebound to give UNC possession as the clock ticked down. While the Panthers stayed close behind, UNC established control in this stretch.

UNC’s rocky play allowed Pittsburgh to effectively claw back after Tar Heels scoring runs, but Berry and Jackson consistently bailed North Carolina out with a strong offensive effort — including eight 3-pointers. In the end, the duo was the main factor in UNC’s success.

Why does it matter?

After UNC’s disappointing performance against Miami on Saturday — snapping a seven-game ACC winning streak — the North Carolina needed a way to reassert its dominance in the conference. While the win was not a particularly convincing one, it still sufficiently restores UNC’s ACC prowess going forward.

Where do they play next?

The Tar Heels host Notre Dame on Saturday at 6 p.m.

@rblakerich_

sports@dailytarheel.com