Pitt Looking for Big ACC Win Against North Carolina

The Pitt Panthers will take on the No. 11 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels for a Valentine's Day matchup on Feb. 14. Both teams are coming off of recent losses.

North Carolina has a 19-4 overall record and is 7-4 in ACC play. Despite being seventh in the ACC, they hold the title of the only ACC team to defeat their rivals Duke so far this season. The Tar Heels just lost to unranked Miami on Feb. 10.

Pitt is 9-16 overall and 2-10 in conference play. Despite losing by 16 points, the Panthers put up a decent fight against No. 4 Duke. The offense still had many of the same problems, such as using up most of the shot clock and missing free throws, but Pitt hit some wild threes in the first half to keep them in the game.

A big takeaway from the Duke matchup is that Pitt was still playing hard. Despite being near the bottom of the ACC, the matchup with Duke clearly meant a lot to the team. Now, Pitt has another ranked opponent they have an opportunity to shock, this time on the road.

Injuries

Both teams have a recently injured player that leaves a big impact.

On Pitt's side, head coach Jeff Capel said that sophomore guard Brandin Cummings might miss the remainder of the season with an injury. Cummings was averaging 12.5 points; his injury is a big loss for a Pitt team that already struggles with scoring.

Pitt guard Brandin Cummings — Jan 14, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Brandin Cummings (3) drives past Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Chas Kelley III (7) in the first half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

For North Carolina, their star freshman forward Caleb Wilson fractured his hand against Miami and is currently out indefinitely. Wilson was averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.9 stocks.

Wilson has scored 20 points in 17 games this season and hasn't scored below double digits in a game so far.

While it's always unfortunate to see any young star player injured, this does give Pitt the chance to play a team missing their best player.

Other North Carolina Players

With Wilson being out, there are other Tar Heels to watch out for.

North Carolina's second leading scorer is Henri Veesaar, a seven-foot center who is averaging 16.4 points and shoots 44.8% from three. As Pitt can only rely on two centers now, Cam Corhen and Kieran Mullen, Veesaar could give the Panthers some trouble.

Senior guard Seth Trimble averages 13.5 points per game. After scoring 16 points and hitting the game winning three pointer against Duke, he scored just four points in the loss to Miami. Trimble has shown to have some up-and-down moments through the season, Pitt just has to hope this game is another down moment.

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