Pitt Falls in ACC Semifinals to North Carolina
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Pitt Panthers entered Friday knowing that they were likely one step away from etching their name into the NCAA Tournament field, though a juggernaut in the form of North Carolina stood in their way as the two sides went to battle in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
In desperate need of a win, No. 4 seed Pitt fell short in a 72-65 loss to the No. 1 seed Tar Heels as its at-large hopes now hang in the balance. Bub Carrington shined with 24 points, but the Panthers couldn't overcome a virtual no-show from Blake Hinson against a tough Tar Heels defense. RJ Davis and Armando Bacot combined for 44 points as North Carolina put Pitt away with a dominant second half performance that threatens its postseason chances.
Carrington commenced the scoring with a pull up midrange jumper before Guillermo Diaz Graham knocked down a pair of three-pointers on back-to-back possessions as part of a 11-0 run for the Panthers that gave them a 15-8 lead going into the first media timeout at the 14:17 mark.
Despite jumping out to an 8-4 lead, North Carolina was saddled with a scoring drought of nearly three minutes as it missed six of its prior seven shots at the time of the stoppage.
Carrington and Jae'Lyn Withers exchanged field goals as Pitt extended its run to 13-2 over a period of nearly five minutes before the second media timeout at the 11:31 mark with the score holding at 17-10.
North Carolina trimmed its deficit to three points before Carrington drilled his first three of the contest at the 9:57 mark. A 4-of-4 spurt for the Tar Heels made it 22-17 leading into the third media timeout at the 7:58 mark.
Federiko Federiko picked up his third foul of the night at the 6:43 mark, shortening the Panthers' frontcourt and forcing Jeff Capel to turn to Will Jeffress off the bench. North Carolina ultimately tied the game at 26-26 heading into a media timeout at the 3:46 mark.
Another Carrington triple pushed the Panthers back in front by three points before Harrison Ingram knotted it back up with one of his own from the top of the key.
A Diaz Graham driving layup over Armando Bacot with 22 seconds left provided Pitt with a 35-33 advantage as the game went into halftime.
The Panthers found ways to circumvent North Carolina's stingy defense throughout the first half as they shot 43.8% from the field and 38.5% from behind the arc, though they were harmed by a lack of production from Hinson as he finished with zero points.
Pitt set a physical tone on defense from the onset, which helped it hold the Tar Heels to 41.4% shooting from the field while forcing six turnovers over the first 20 minutes.
Carrington was the only player on either side to finish with double-digits in the first half as he recorded 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Bacot, meanwhile, led North Carolina with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting.
A Bacot layup tied the game before Lowe converted a pair of free throws to put Pitt back up by two points at the 16:54 mark. An RJ Davis three-pointer propelled North Carolina to a 40-39 lead going into the first media timeout of the second half at the 15:51 mark.
A Lowe three placed the Panthers in front by a score of 42-40 before Davis responded with an and-one on the other end. The Tar Heels utilized a 6-0 run to help extend their lead to 46-42 before a media timeout at the 13:52 mark.
A Carrington three pulled Pitt back within three points at the 12:13 mark, though two layups from Jalen Washington helped North Carolina sustain a 52-47 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game.
A Davis turnaround jumper grew the Tar Heels' lead to a game-high seven points before Lowe converted a tough look around the rim on the following possession. An Ishmael Leggett and-one opportunity accounted for his first points of the night as Pitt cut it to 58-53 going into a media timeout at the 7:45 mark.
Leggett drilled a three-pointer before Lowe converted a floater that tied the game at 62-62 with 4:23 left, but a Davis three-pointer swiftly thrust North Carolina back up by three points.
Another Davis triple made it 69-62 with just over two minutes left, which served as the dagger as Pitt failed to get back into the game from that point forward. The Panthers now sit in a precarious spot heading into Selection Sunday amongst a crowded bubble.
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