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
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: The Five StagesChapelboro's Michael Koh breaks down the stunning news of Seth Trimble's commitment to Louisville via the transfer portal.
Seth Trimble Returns to College Ball Under New Rules; Transferring to LouisvilleWhen Seth Trimble entered the transfer portal after his sophomore season, he tested the waters before ultimately returning to UNC men’s basketball. Fans rejoiced, cheering on the opportunity to see an up-and-coming player keep developing into a star for the Tar Heels. Across the following two seasons, Trimble, the younger brother of former Tar Heel […]
UNC Men's Basketball to Face USC in Preseason Exhibition in GreensboroThe unofficial debut of UNC’s Michael Malone era will come in the Tar Heels’ home away from home. UNC will face USC in a preseason exhibition at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro (better known as the Greensboro Coliseum) Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. Though neither program has announced the game, the Coliseum’s website has […]
Granted Extra Year, South Dakota Center Cameron Fens Commits to UNC Men's BasketballSeven-foot center Cameron Fens, who had exhausted his collegiate eligibility until a recent court ruling granted him and other graduating athletes one more season, committed to UNC Friday afternoon. View this post on Instagram Fens, originally from Dubuque, IA, graduated high school in 2022. He began his career with Illinois-Chicago in the Missouri Valley Conference […]
Freshmen, Transfers and More: Every Newcomer Joining UNC Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 SeasonAs Michael Malone embarks on his first season as the head coach of the UNC men’s basketball program, he’s gotten busy securing the additions of several newcomers to the program. Malone and his staff have mined from traditional high school recruiting and the transfer portal to fill out Carolina’s roster, and that work is continuing […]
UNC Men's Basketball to Face West Virginia in 2026 Dick Vitale InvitationalAnother key non-conference date for UNC’s 2026-27 season has been set. The Tar Heels will face West Virginia in the second annual Dick Vitale Invitational, which will be played Friday, Nov. 27 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. A tip-off time will be announced later. See you in Charlotte 📍⤵️ 🔗 https://t.co/ybKYYmj1sS pic.twitter.com/yY3vUw2JKc — Carolina […]
Report: Longtime Gonzaga Assistant Jorge Sanz to Join UNC Men's Basketball StaffAccording to a report from Theo Lawson of the Spokane Spokesman-Review, longtime Gonzaga assistant Jorge Sanz is set to join UNC head coach Michael Malone’s staff in Chapel Hill. Longtime Gonzaga assistant/Director of Operations Jorge Sanz is moving on to North Carolina after eight seasons in Spokane, where he was integral to the program's nonconference […]
Chansky's Notebook: The Cost of BusinessCarolina has released its salary structure for the 2026-27 men’s basketball season, and right now it has to be a game of wait and see. Mike Malone is making $7.5 million in his first college head coaching season and his new top assistant Chuck Martin is making $500,000. Here is where it gets interesting. The […]
Report: Buffalo Transfer Angelo Brizzi Commits to UNC Men's BasketballAngelo Brizzi, who spent the 2025-26 season with Buffalo, reportedly committed to head coach Michael Malone and UNC out of the transfer portal Wednesday. Inside Carolina first reported the news. UNC will be Brizzi’s fifth school in five years. The guard began his career at Villanova in 2022 – entering college in the same class […]
Former UNC Player Ed Davis Among Several Indicted in NBA Gambling ScandalEd Davis, who played for the UNC men’s basketball team from 2008 through 2010 and helped the Tar Heels win the 2009 national title, is among six former NBA players who are being charged with conspiracy, bribery and money laundering as the result of a federal investigation. An indictment published Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s […]
›
