Inside The Panthers

Pitt Will Face Shorthanded North Carolina in Chapel Hill

The Tar Heels are dealing with injuries this week ahead of a date with the Pitt Panthers.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Will Face Shorthanded North Carolina in Chapel Hill
Pitt Will Face Shorthanded North Carolina in Chapel Hill /
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PITTSBURGH -- North Carolina is dealing with a couple of key injuries this week as they prepare to host the Pitt Panthers for a key clash of Quad 1 teams in Chapel, North Carolina. Head coach Hubert Davis provided an optimistic update on one of his star players and is doubtful that one reserve will play. 

Starting point guard R.J. Davis injured his finger and was hit in the face, causing swelling around his eye last week against Syracuse. He will practice this week, according to Hubert Davis and he "fully expects" him to play against the Panthers. 

Puff Johnson, a junior guard, Moon Township, Pennsylvania native and the brother of former Pitt wing Cameron Johnson, is dealing with a sore right knee. He is limited in practice, according to Davis, and progressing but still doubtful to play against the Panthers this week. Davis still did not rule out Johnson altogether. 

Davis is the team's second-leading scorer (16.4 points per game), the third-leading rebounder (4.9 rebounds per game) and assists more than any other Tar Heel (3.2 assists per game). Johnson has appeared in 16 games this season and made a pair of starts. He's averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting 36.8% from 3-point range. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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