In desperate search of a win to snap its three-game losing skid, the UNC men’s basketball team instead laid an egg on Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh—falling behind by 20 points at halftime before ultimately suffering a 66-52 loss to head coach Jeff Capel’s Panthers.

It was the Tar Heels’ second loss to Pitt in their last three games, however the script was flipped this time around. Instead of UNC (8-9, 1-5 ACC) building a commanding lead in the first half, the Panthers came out strong this time and asserted their will right from the start.

After the Tar Heels went up 5-2 in the opening minutes, Pitt (12-6, 3-4 ACC) responded with a 24-5 run which sparked the home crowd and essentially sealed the victory before UNC ever had a chance—especially given the team’s offensive struggles this season.

The Tar Heels fought hard to try and cut into the deficit in the second half, but were never able to pull closer than 10 points.

Senior guard Brandon Robinson (right) was one of only three Tar Heels to score more than five points in Saturday’s loss at Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Junior forward Garrison Brooks continues to be UNC’s top player, as he led the team with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Armando Bacot and Brandon Robinson each added 12 points for head coach Roy Williams’ team, but both of them eventually fouled out in the second half.

No other Tar Heel managed to score more than five points, while as a team UNC shot just 31 percent, dished out only 11 assists and turned the ball over 16 times.

“It’s hard when somebody’s hitting you right between the eyes every time you step out there,” Williams told reporters afterwards. “But, you know, life’s like that too. For me, it’s trying to win basketball games. But also, I happen to be one of those corny, old blankety-blanks that thinks athletics is good for you and it teaches us how to handle some adversity.

“Right now we’ve got to handle quite a bit of adversity,” the coach continued. “And it’s not pleasant. It’s not a good feeling after the games.”

The loss represents the Tar Heels’ second four-game losing streak of the season, with this one hurting a bit more because it comes during the beginning of ACC play against teams who aren’t ranked or expected to compete for the conference title.

On top of that, this also marks the first time UNC has been below .500 since Nov. 22, 2004. In that year, the Tar Heels opened the season 1-2 before going on to win the national championship.

It’s safe to say this year’s UNC team probably won’t rebound quite that strong, no matter if Cole Anthony comes back to play or not. If it can go wrong, it has gone wrong for this year’s group.

There’s still plenty of games left to be played this season, but it’s obvious that it will be an uphill climb as the schedule only gets tougher the rest of the way.

“I’ve lived a charmed life,” Williams said. “I know we’ve lost the first game of the season a couple times. Two times we’ve lost the first game of the season, so we’ve started 0-1. Went to the Final Four both times. Won a national championship. But this is a little later. Having a losing record right now is not something we’re very familiar with.”

Up Next:

Another road game awaits the Tar Heels on Wednesday, when they head to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech at 8 p.m.

Game Notes:

  • Garrison Brooks has posted a double-double in each of the Tar Heels’ last five games.
  • Pittsburgh dominated despite shooting just 37.7 percent from the floor. The Panthers also missed 14 of their last 15 shots in the game, and didn’t make a shot from the field over the final 6:36 of action.
  • The Tar Heels won the rebounding battle 47-38.

 

FINAL BOX SCORE

 

 

Cover photo via Associated Press

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