CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — While the letters A-C-C could be read crystal clear in white font atop the Carolina Blue in the paint on Roy Williams Court, the play between Pitt and North Carolina in Wednesday night’s conference showdown emulated more of an old-school Big East showdown.
There were hard fouls, smack talk and bodies flying onto the floor from start to finish. And in the end, it was the former Big East program that came out on top, as the Panthers managed to grind out a 65-64 victory over the Tar Heels.
“Both teams really, really battled, fought and competed tonight,” Jeff Capel said after the win. “I think our guys really made some big-time plays on both sides. I’m really, really proud of my team. This was a gritty, gritty win for us.”
After battling back and forth all evening long against the Tar Heels (15-7, 7-4), the Panthers (16-7, 9-3) found themselves with the ball, down one, with a chance to win. Trailing with 23.3 seconds left, Capel put the ball into the hands of Pitt’s leading scorer Jamarius Burton. The end result? A foul by RJ Davis that allowed Burton to sink a pair of game-winning free throws.
“These guys don’t blink,” Capel said. “That’s the main thing: we don’t blink. The crowd started going crazy, [North Carolina] made a big shot to tie it, but we just didn’t blink. We just kept playing.”
Nelly Cummings led the way for Pitt, with 21 points. The veteran guard was red-hot from the floor, ending the night shooting a smoldering 8 for 11. Burton tallied 19 points, while Nike Sibande chipped in 10 off the bench for Pitt in the victory.
North Carolina was led by Love in the loss, who finished with a game-high 22 points. Armando Bacot also had a solid night for the Tar Heels, contributing 15 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort, which marks his 13th double-double of the season.
Key stat
Last week Greg Elliott mentioned during his media availability that he felt plus/minus was the most important stat in basketball. If that’s the case then the numbers show that a pair of his teammates had a big night against North Carolina. Fede Federiko and Sibande both ended the game +10.
“We were really focused on trying to cause deflections,” Sibande said when asked about his team’s efficient play while he was on the floor. “Just get our hands on the basketball, rebound the basketball and let the offense come to us.”
Federiko was perhaps Pitt’s best defender of the night, holding Bacot scoreless for the first 15 minutes of the game. The sophomore center finished the victory with eight points, four rebounds and three blocks.
Quotable
Burton is no stranger to success in the Dean Smith Center. Before he was leading the Panthers to back-to-back wins in Chapel Hill, the Raleigh native was winning state titles in the Tar Heels building during his senior year of high school. Burton took time after the win to express just how special it is to have one final hurrah in such an iconic basketball venue.
“Prior to this game, I’ve just been reflecting, thanking god for the opportunities that I’ve had here,”Burton said. “I won a state championship here, I won here last year, and my last time here in a Pitt uniform, I was able to help win the game for us. I just give glory to god and I’m beyond thankful.”
While Burton carries himself with a business-first demeanor, the Panther guard was a bit looser Wednesday evening, explaining just how fun the 2022-23 season has been so far for he and his teammates.
“It’s been a tremendous run,” Burton said with a smile. “We’re really looking forward to keeping it going.”
Up next
Pitt will receive some time off before its next battle, which will be Tuesday, Feb. 7 at home against Louisville. The Panthers defeated the Cardinals (3-19, 1-10) 75-54 at the KFC Yum! Center in their first meeting this season, which took place on Jan. 18. Louisville earned its first ACC win of the year Wednesday night, taking down Georgia Tech at home 68-58.
