A nine-point lead in the second half went up in smoke for the UNC men’s basketball team Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh, as the Panthers used a 31-point explosion from Jamarius Burton and a Tar Heel cold spell to spring the upset, 76-74. It’s UNC’s second consecutive loss to the Panthers.
Burton, the only Panther starter to play in Pitt’s win in Chapel Hill last season, made 14 of 17 shots while also ripping down six rebounds in the win. No other Panther player had more than 16 points. For the Tar Heels, Armando Bacot contributed 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, securing his 57th career double-double, three off tying the school record. R.J. Davis and Pete Nance both also reached double figures, but Caleb Love managed just seven points on nine shots and committed a critical turnover with 1:04 remaining and Carolina trailing by three points.
After going down 55-46, Pittsburgh outscored the Tar Heels 24-12 to take that three-point lead before Love’s turnover. A Pete Nance jumper with with 9:39 left in the second half served as UNC’s last made field goal until six seconds remained on the clock. The Tar Heels shot 51.6 percent in the first half, but just 33.3 percent in the second. Pitt, meanwhile, improved from 41.9 percent in the first half to 50 percent in the second. Despite Bacot’s strong performance, the Panthers outscored Carolina 42-26 in the paint.
The loss drops UNC to 0-3 in true road games this season. That’s already as many road losses as the Tar Heels had all of last season. At just 1-2 the ACC, this also marks the first time Carolina has had a losing record in conference play through multiple games under head coach Hubert Davis.
Now 9-5 with its four-game winning streak snapped, Carolina will return home to the Smith Center to host Wake Forest at 9 p.m. on January 4.
Featured image via UNC Basketball on Twitter
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