CHAPEL HILL, NC — North Carolina failed to untie Pittsburgh again. The Panthers conceded a 65-64 loss to the Tar Heels Wednesday night in ACC basketball at the Smith Center when Jamarius Burton’s two free throws made the difference by 3.4 seconds.
UNC came from the apron with 0.6 seconds to go, and Caleb Love attempted to leave a fading 3-pointer denied by Pitt’s Nike Sibande. The blocked shot made the Panthers celebrate as the last horn sounded. Pitt picked up his fifth win in the last six meetings between those teams and has won three visits in a row here at Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels (15-7 overall, 7-4 ACC), returning from a seven-day break between games, suffered their first home loss of the season but missed a chance to get past Pitt (16-7, 9-3) and sole possession of third place in the crowded league standings. UNC went into the night 10-0 at home, including 5-0 in ACC games.
But this was a fight for the Tar Heels, who shot just 34.8 percent from the field, 18.5 percent from 3-point range, and 59.1 percent from the free-throw line as their four-game winning streak ended went. UNC went 1-for-14 past the 3-point arc in the second half but were leading 46-40 when Pete Nance converted on a cutting bucket in the alley, bending his arms in a fired reaction.
Love’s 22 points surpassed UNC. Armando Bacot (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Nance (13 points) were also in double figures. Bacot and RJ Davis combined shooting 6-for-25 from the field and 11-for-19 from the free-throw line.
Nelly Cummings connected with five 3-pointers and delivered 21 points to speed up Pitt. Burton finished the game with 19 points on 6-for-18 shooting while sometimes giving the Tar Heels fits on how to match defensively. UNC defensive specialist Leaky Black was booed for his third and fourth foul on consecutive calls in the first four minutes of the second half.
Burton broke out for a career-high 31 points five weeks ago as the Panthers won the first matchup of the season between those teams in Pittsburgh. Ultimately, he again pursued the Tar Heels on Wednesday night with the game-winning free throws.
UNC later fell seven points three times in the final 9½ minutes of the game and were 61-55 behind with less than five minutes to go before taking a 64-63 lead with 1:07 to go on Bacot’s free throws.
UNC’s Armando Bacot is shooting Wednesday night. (Photo: Jim Hawkins / Inside Carolina, 247Sports)Armando Bacot under wraps early
Bacot, who started as the second-best scorer in the ACC, didn’t top the scoring charts until 5:06 of the first half. His slow start picked up somewhat soon after as the big man scored five straight points while the Tar Heels didn’t change ends of the court.
Burton had a turnover with 4:38 remaining and UNC effectively held the ball until the 3:43 mark. Nance kept alive two of Bacot’s missed free throws on the offensive boards when Bacot pinched free throws around a bucket from a deep post-up to make his five-point stop this side of the court.
He finished the game 3-of-10 from the floor and 9-of-15 from the free throw line.
Caleb Love’s active start
Love started early Wednesday night with 13 first-half points, a start that didn’t have the same efficiency as in last week’s Syracuse win. Love had 10 offfield shots by halftime here against Pittsburgh, more than he attempted for the Syracuse game — when he went 4-on-7 offfield, including 3-on-5 from 3-point range, and one goal scored 15 points.
Still, the Tar Heels needed Love’s offense to stay within 34-33 of Pitt by the end of their cold first half (30.6 percent from the field). He scored nine of UNC’s first 17 points and 12 of the team’s first 22 points. By the time his third 3-pointer connected, Love and Nance had combined for 19 of their team’s first 22 points.
Next on the agenda
North Carolina is shooting for its third straight win over rival Duke on Saturday night. The Tar Heels won 94-81 in their recent visit to Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC, defeating Duke in retiring coach Mike Krzyzewski’s farewell game at home. Four weeks later in New Orleans, UNC delivered another epic win over the Blue Devils, winning 81-77 in the Final Four to retire Krzyzewski with a loss.
Duke, now under coach Jon Scheyer, is 11-0 at home this season, including 5-0 in ACC games. The Blue Devils (16-6, 7-4) have won three of their last four games since losing to league leaders Clemson and four of their last six since being blasted by NC State at Raleigh to close the month of January open.