CHAPEL HILL– Carolina men’s basketball, 16-7 overall and 6-4 in the ACC, will return to action Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Dean Smith Center when the Tar Heels take on the No. 25 Pittsburgh Panthers, 20-5 on the season and 8-5 in conference.

The Tar Heels come into the contest on a long layoff. The postponement of the Duke game Wednesday means Carolina has not played since last Saturday’s 73-62 victory at Notre Dame.

The Panthers experienced heartbreak in their last game, falling on a last-second buzzer beater to undefeated and top-ranked Syracuse.

In what promises to be a pivotal matchup in the ACC, fifth-place Carolina is facing fourth-place Pitt, and both teams will be angling to claim a top four seeding and a first round bye in the ACC Tournament held in Greensboro next month.

Carolina junior James Michael McAdoo comes into Saturday’s game having scored in double figures in 16 consecutive games. Sophomore Marcus Paige is leading the ACC in free throw shooting, knocking down 90.5 percent of his shots at the line.

Paige laying one in. (Todd Melet)

Paige laying one in. (Todd Melet)

There will be a ‘Stripe-Out’ in the Smith Center Saturday with Carolina blue and white shirts placed on every seat with the colors alternating section-by-section to create the ‘stripe-out’ effect.

UNC has dominated the series against Pitt, sporting a 7-1 advantage, but the two schools haven’t met since way back in 1996, a victory for the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.

The game will be broadcast on 97.9 FM WCHL and televised nationally on CBS at 1 p.m.