Preview: Pitt Takes on Struggling UNC

The Pitt Panthers face an ACC powerhouse with NCAA Tournament implications.
Jan 18, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Jaland Lowe (15) dribbles the ball as Clemson Tigers guard Jaeden Zackery (11) defends during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Jan 18, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Jaland Lowe (15) dribbles the ball as Clemson Tigers guard Jaeden Zackery (11) defends during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers finally ended their four-game losing streak, as they outlasted rival Syracuse on the road for a 77-73 victory.

Pitt lost the rebounding battle 48-31, as Syracuse graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr. grabbed 23 rebounds and eight on the offensive end. Pitt only grabbed nine offensive rebounds as a team, but they kept posssesion well, turning the ball over just three times.

Now, the Panthers must transfer their newly found momentum into defending home court against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Despite the win against Syracuse, Pitt fell from No. 32 to No. 34 in the Pomeroy College Basketball Rankings. They are still the fourth highest-ranked team in the ACC, with the three higher ranked being all teams Pitt has lost too recently, Duke, Louisville, and Clemson. The Tar Heels, ranked No. 38, are on the Panthers' heels. How can Pitt stave them off?

Preview: Pitt vs North Carolina

The Tar Heels are heading into Pittsburgh with a 13-8 record overall and a 6-3 conference record under fourth year head coach Hubert Davis.

It's been a wild few seasons for North Carolina, as they reached the 2023 National Championship as a No. 8 seed in Davis's first season but fell to Kansas 72-69.

North Carolina started the following season ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll, but failed even to receive an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. They came into this campaign ranked No. 9, but fell out of the poll completely by Week 6.

Graduate student guard RJ Davis, one of the most decorated players in college basketball, leads the Tar Heels.

Davis has started every game but one over the last four seasons and is among the top five in points per game in program history. He was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award last season and is averaging 17.7 points in his 34.8 minutes per game.

He is an excellent 3-point shooter but he has shot poorly this season, just 29.5%, after making 39.5% of his attempts from deep last season.

Assisting Davis on the offensive end is first-year guard Ian Jackson, who averages 15 points in his 26.9 minutes per game.

Jackson came in as a consensus top-10 player in the country in the Class of 2024 and has immediately thrived with the Tar Heels.

Standing at six-foot-four, Jackson can score at all three levels and is an excellent 3-point shooter. Jackson's 38.3% efficiency from deep on 4.7 attempts per game leads all players with more than two attempts.

North Carolina's backcourt has another young star in sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau, a consensus five-star prospect in the Class of 2023

Cadeau's main focus is a grea scorer, but at the collegit level, he has excelled as a passer. Teams often dare Cadeau to shoot and his confidence on attempting those open looks has rarely waivered. Cadeau averages 10.7 points in his 29.5 minutes per game and leads the Tar Heels with 6.1 assists per game.

Junior Jalen Washington leads North Carolina's front court and he leads the team with five rebounds per game, along with fellow junior in guard Seth Trimble.

Standing at six-foot-10, Washington's role this season has increased substantially compared to his last two seasons. He has started two-thirds of the Tar Heels games this season and is an efficient inside scorer in his 17.6 minutes per game.

Pitt has a record of 1-6 in games against Quad 1 opponents. They are one of 21 teams in the country with zero losses outside of Quad 1.

The Tar Heels hold a 1-7 record in Quad 1 games, with five of those games coming against AP Top 25 ranked opponents and will look for their second Quad 1 win of the season vs. the Panthers.

North Carolina is coming off a 102-96 overtime win against Boston College at home on Jan 25.

Like the Panthers, they were coming off consecutive losses prior to the win. Both the Panthers and Tar Heels will vie to parlay their previous win into a primetime victory.

Outside of 3-point and free-throw shooting, the Tar Heels have the Panthers bested in every major team statistic.

Pitt will need another big offensive performance from guards in sophomore Jaland Lowe and senior Ishmael Leggett to pull out another victory. Ideally, the Panthers continue to take care of the ball and make another step in fixing their rebounding woes.

How to Watch: Pitt vs North Carolina

Pitt faces North Carolina at 9 pm on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at the Petersen Events Center. ESPN is airing the game.

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