Outlasting a defensive battle, the North Carolina men’s basketball team (10-3, 2-0 ACC) defeated Pittsburgh (9-5, 0-2 ACC), 70-57, on Tuesday night at the Petersen Event Center in Pittsburgh.
The win rewrites a past narrative for the Tar Heels who have fallen to the Panthers in five of their last six meetings, which included getting swept by Pittsburgh in both matchups last season. The trip up north was also North Carolina’s first true road game of the season, after the team finished 3-3 in on neutral sites throughout its non-conference schedule.
Tallying a 16-point double-double, graduate center Armando Bacot led the Tar Heel offense to victory, alongside a 15-point performance from senior guard RJ Davis.
To say the Tar Heels got off to a slow start in the Steel City would be an understatement. North Carolina was held scoreless by the arrival of the game’s first TV timeout, missing its opening 10 field goal attempts.
At the 13:40 mark, Davis finally broke the scoring deadlock by stepping into a 3-pointer at the top of the arc. After the ACC’s leading scorer splashed his first look from deep, he tacked on a midrange jumper just two possessions later.
Junior forward Harrison Ingram kept UNC’s offense rolling by getting downhill in transition. The Stanford transfer drew an extra defender before he dished a no-look pass to graduate center Armando Bacot, who finished the play with a two-handed slam.
A creative stagger screen fresh out of the under-four timeout freed up sophomore guard Seth Trimble for an alley-oop dunk assisted by Davis. On the ensuing possession, Trimble pulled up off the dribble to swish a 3-pointer late in the shot clock.
In North Carolina’s final possession of the half, Davis drilled a three as time expired to surpass head coach Hubert Davis in career made 3-pointers (198). The trey ball also placed the Tar Heels ahead 31-28 at the break.
With nine points off the bench, Trimble led all scorers in the first half.
