Pitt vs North Carolina Takeaways: Five Years in, Jeff Capel's Rebuild Bears Fruit

It took five years, but Jeff Capel has brought the Pitt Panthers back to national relevance, even if only temporarily.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers needed to mount a furious comeback and defend their lead down to the very final seconds, but pulled out their first win over a ranked opponent in two years by outlasting No. 25 North Carolina at home to move into a share for first place in the ACC with Miami. 

It wasn't pretty for the whole game, but Pitt doesn't count style points and the energy at the Pete was unlike anything that's been felt over the past seven years. This program is 3-0 in ACC play and has announced itself as a serious NCAA Tournament contender for the first time since Jamie Dixon was the head coach.

Jamarius BurtHim

Pitt needed every bit of Jamarius Burton's career-high-shattering 31 points. He kept the offense afloat when made buckets from the outside were hard to come by. Burton's game is simple but it was deadly against the Tar Heels. He didn't make a 3-pointer but made 14 of 16 shots from two-point range and added six rebounds for good measure.

North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis put it succinctly: "No one on our team could guard him." 

Burton was hitting his signature mid-range shots but also bullied his way in for layups and was creative once Carolina became wise to his scoring. Pump fakes were employed effectively to find his way around the adjustments his defenders made. The most senior member of this Pitt team - the one who has seen this team hit devastatingly low points - was at his best when the team needed his best the most and now he can enjoy his place at the center of the program's peak.

Hinson Comes Up Clutch

For all that Burton did to keep the Panthers afloat, he scored his 31st and final point with 2:55 to play in the game. His team led by three at that point, but Carolina tied the game up less than a minute later. While he wasn't able to find the bottom of the net during the final few minutes, Pitt's best player survived the worst first half of his season so far to help deliver a win. 

Blake Hinson, who's led the Panthers in scoring this season, scored seven of his 16 points in the final two minutes. His second 3-pointer - made with 1:28 left in the game - gave the Panthers' the separation necessary to survive a dicey final five seconds in which they nearly gave the game away and his defense in crunch time was crucial to defending the dwindling lead. 

It takes some extreme confidence to keep one's head in the game during a poor shooting performance but Hinson did just that. He contributed in multiple ways - using his size to double-team Armando Bacot and force turnovers from traps, rebounding well and then making clutch shots down the stretch. 

Pitt Wins Ugly but Looks Good

Coming into this game, the formula for Pitt to win seemed clear - hit some 3-pointers against a team that struggles to defend them, contain Armando Bacot as best you can and force someone else to beat you. 

The Panthers did almost none of that but won anyway. Bacot's 22 points and 13 rebounds came in a losing effort as Pitt tied a season-low in 3-point makes and shot 20% from distance but made 24 of 38 attempts from inside the arc. They leaned on outstanding defense for the entire game as well, with their individual defending and communication taking a big step forward against a team with immense talent. 

It's hard to understate the kind of momentum the Panthers have after topping a ranked opponent for the first time in 695 days. No. 13 Virginia, Clemson and a road trip to No. 15 Duke make up the next four games on Pitt's schedule and they are hitting the toughest part of their schedule at the right time. 

They are tied with Miami for the best record in the ACC - just barely after nearly squandering a seven-point lead inside of 10 seconds - but they have nevertheless hit the peak of the Jeff Capel era in Pittsburgh after beating UNC. This team has lived up to the highest expectations Pitt fans could have had before the year began and have validated the confidence they have in one another. This is the fruit that Capel's rebuild was supposed to yield and it's better late than never. 

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