No. 15 UNC Opens ACC Play With Dominant Road Victory at Pittsburgh

In front of a sellout crowd on the road Saturday afternoon, the 15^th-ranked UNC men’s basketball team jumped out to a huge early lead and never looked back on the way to a dominant 85-60 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers to open up ACC play.

Freshman point guard Coby White scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Tar Heel effort, while senior forward Luke Maye chipped in a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

In addition, wing Cameron Johnson added 15 points, nine rebound and four assists in his first game back in Pittsburgh since transferring to UNC prior to last season.

The trio were the only Tar Heels to score in double figures on Saturday, in a game where UNC (11-3, 1-0 ACC) never trailed for a single second.

Pittsburgh (10-4, 0-1 ACC) stayed competitive for the first 10 minutes of action, but a 24-2 run late in the half helped the Tar Heels head into the locker room with a commanding 22-point lead—erasing all doubt about the game’s final outcome.

Head coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels opened ACC play on Saturday with an emphatic victory on the road over Pittsburgh. (Todd Melet)

After a pair of sluggish performances in victories over Davidson and Harvard in their last two games, this was the perfect way for head coach Roy Williams and company to begin the ACC gauntlet.

“Going on the road in the ACC, we’ve had some teams that have showed some poise and composure,” Williams told reporters afterwards. “And I think our club did that today.

“We jumped out early, then they tied it up and the crowd got into it,” he added. “Then we made two or three good plays in a row, and after that we just kept methodically playing.”

If there were any negatives to take away from a blowout win such as this one, it was that the Tar Heels continued to struggle with fouls and turnovers.

Pittsburgh shot a whopping total of 32 free throws in the game and made 20—which accounted for a third of its points in the game. UNC also turned the ball over 11 times, a number below its season average, but five of those came from its starting point guard.

White’s ability to push the pace and create offense has been critical to the Tar Heels’ success this season. At times, however, his problems holding on to the ball have led to too many easy buckets on the other end.

Defensively, UNC held its third straight opponent to 60 points or less after doing so just once over the first 11 games.

Progress continues to slowly show itself with this team, as it looks to fulfill the high expectations placed on them in the preseason.

Although Pittsburgh was picked to finish at the bottom of the conference, new head coach Jeff Capel has the Panthers trending in the right direction as well.

“Coby turned it over way too many times,” Williams said. “But you like 22 points as well.

“But it’s a W,” the coach continued. “We’re happy about it. Jeff [Capel]’s club is gonna be fine. They’re very, very, very young, but I did not sleep well last night. I can tell you that.”

Up Next:

A rivalry showdown in Raleigh awaits the Tar Heels in their next game, which is on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 9 p.m.

Game Notes:

UNC held Pittsburgh to just 30 percent shooting from the floor.
Sophomore forward Garrison Brooks led UNC with five assists.
The double-double from Maye was his fifth of the season. It was also his 12th consecutive game scoring in double figures.

FINAL BOX SCORE

Cover photo via Todd Melet

No. 15 UNC Opens ACC Play With Dominant Road Victory at Pittsburgh

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