Pitt thumps UNC, handing the Tar Heels their fourth consecutive loss of the season
After coming off arguably its most disappointing loss of the season to Clemson last week, North Carolina followed it up with yet another disappointing loss.
UNC trailed Pittsburgh by as many as 23 points in the first half of their game at the Petersen Events Center. They turned it over too many times, missed too many shots and eventually lost 66-52.
“Their defense dominated our offense, and our defense couldn’t come up with enough stops to get things going,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “It was not a good day for us.”
Williams has been tied with his mentor Dean Smith at 879 wins since Dec. 30. Since then, the Tar Heels have lost four straight and nine of their last 12.
They are 8-9 on the season, which is uncharted territory for the Tar Heels. The last time UNC had a losing record at any point in a season was 2004-05, when it lost the season-opener. But that year, the Tar Heels won the national championship.
UNC junior forward Garrison Brooks led the Tar Heels with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
UNC senior guard Brandon Robinson, who was questionable for Saturday’s game after getting into a car accident last week, finished with 12 points.
Pitt guard Xavier Johnson led the Panthers with 20 points and six assists.
“We’re definitely hurting right now, and the fashion at which we’re losing,” said UNC freshman forward Armando Bacot, who fouled out and finished with 12 points. “But we’ll live to fight another day.”
The Tar Heels have found multiple ways to lose this year. Against Pitt 10 days earlier, and Clemson last week, they led at halftime and looked decent early.
But in this game, especially early, the Tar Heels looked like they had nothing to give.
After UNC cut Pitt’s lead to 14-10 with 13 minutes left in the first half, the Panthers went on a 12-0 run to take command. The Tar Heels turned it over eight times in a seven-minute span, allowing the Panthers to score easy buckets off turnovers.
Johnson’s wide-open layup with three minutes left in the first half gave Pitt a 40-17 lead.
The Tar Heels had no answer. It was the second time in 10 days that Pitt beat UNC.
“North Carolina is one of the greatest programs in the history of college basketball, and any time you get a chance to sweep them is a pretty special thing,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel III said. “It was something that we don’t take for granted. We knew we had to work for it.”
And one
The Tar Heels tried to battle back in the second half. They did a better job of taking care of the basketball and played better defense. The Tar Heels cut the lead to 10 points with just under two minutes left.
But it was far too late.
Personal foul
The Tar Heels trailed by 20 points at halftime. It was the second time this season that they had trailed by 20 points after one half. The other time was against Georgia Tech on Jan. 4. In that game, the Tar Heels didn’t score their first field goal until 6:49 left in the first half. In this game, the Tar Heels turned it over 11 times before halftime. It prevented them from getting into any rhythm.
“I think turnovers early set us so far back,” Williams said. “We never could get back to where we had a chance.”
ICYMI
UNC freshmen guards Cole Anthony, Jeremiah Francis and Robinson were all questionable for Saturday’s game. Francis is dealing with a sore knee. Robinson got into a car accident last week, and Anthony had a knee procedure done last month.
But only Francis and Robinson played.
Making sense of the numbers
11 First-half turnovers for UNC. Those allowed Pitt to open a 20-point halftime lead. The Panthers scored 18 points off the turnovers.
47.6 The Tar Heels’ free throw percentage after going 10 of 21 from the free throw line. They had plenty of opportunities to cut into Pitt’s lead, but their inability to make the easiest shots hurt them.
23 Second-half points for Pitt. The Panthers struggled in the second half. Credit UNC’s defense. But the Tar Heels offense didn’t give them much help.
This story was originally published January 18, 2020 at 2:05 PM.
