UNC Men's Basketball's Rally vs. Pittsburgh Falls Short in 1-Point Loss

The Pitt Panthers seem to have Carolina’s number. Pittsburgh beat the Tar Heels for the second time this season and fifth time in the last six meetings Wednesday night, using a pair of free throws with 3.4 seconds left to escape Chapel Hill with a 65-64 win.

“We weren’t disciplined enough to win the game,” said head coach Hubert Davis afterward. “We weren’t tough enough to win the game. We didn’t shoot the ball well enough to win the game. We didn’t play good enough defense to win the game.”

Carolina had led, 64-63, following a 9-2 run which turned a six-point deficit into a one-point lead. The Tar Heels had the ball with less than a minute to go and could’ve extended that lead to three or even four points, but a Panther double-team on senior center Armando Bacot forced a travel, giving the ball back to Pitt. Jamarius Burton drew a foul on R.J. Davis on the Panthers’ ensuing possession and made both free throws.

Afterward, Bacot expressed remorse for not calling UNC’s one remaining timeout in the middle of the double-team.

“I’ve gotta do a better job of knowing if we have timeouts or not,” he said. “In that situation, I probably should’ve kept my dribble alive. That was a huge play.”

Junior guard Caleb Love’s desperation three-point attempt was blocked in the final seconds, though most of the Dean Smith Center crowd believed Love was fouled on the play. None was called, and the game was over.

Love finished with 22 points, his first 20-point game in ACC play this season and first against any team since scoring 22 against Ohio State on December 17. Love made four three-pointers (again, his most since the Ohio State game), including a long one to tie the game with 3:49 remaining. That shot was Carolina’s final made shot.

“We made enough plays to win that game,” said graduate forward Pete Nance, who finished with 13 points and was the only Tar Heel not named Caleb Love to make a three-pointer. “Just a couple more here and there… change the whole tide of the game.”

In a game ultimately decided by one point, UNC shot just 13-22 (59.1 percent) at the foul line, its worst rate on at least 20 attempts since the Michigan game on December 21.

“We’ve just gotta step up and make free throws,” said Love, who finished 2-3 at the line. “That’s the only thing I can really say about that.”

Now, UNC finds itself looking avoid another losing streak as it looks ahead to Duke this coming Saturday. The team’s visit to Cameron Indoor Stadium will be its first look at new Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer. Despite both teams being unranked, the environment will be as daunting as ever for a Carolina team suddenly searching for answers.

“We know where we’re at as a team,” said Nance. “I think if we listen to what everybody else has to say about us, then we will take a step back… it will end up being a step back if we let it be. But I don’t think it is. We’re not gonna let it be.”

Featured image via Todd Melet. For a full photo gallery of the game, click here.

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UNC Men’s Basketball’s Rally vs. Pittsburgh Falls Short in 1-Point Loss

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