No. 11 North Carolina (19-5, 7-4 ACC) vs. Pittsburgh (9-16, 2-10 ACC)
Chapel Hill, N.C. — Smith Center
Saturday, Feb. 14 — 2 p.m.
ESPN (Kevin Brown, Randolph Childress)

Quotables 
“I felt like we settled instead of getting the ball inside… how you get to the free throw line is shots towards the basket. And we just couldn’t generate and find consistency to be able to do that, whether it was from our bigs or our guards.” — Head coach Hubert Davis after UNC’s loss to Miami

“Roman accepts every challenge. He’s learning a lot, he’s gotten a lot better. He was excited, as were all the guys. Obviously it’s a big challenge, playing against one of the better players in the country, probably the leader for ACC Player of the Year in Cameron Boozer, and I thought he did a nice job” — Head coach Jeff Capel after Pitt’s loss to Duke on Tuesday

Pregame Notes

Wilson’s Injury Casts Larger Shadow Over Miami Loss: This week’s news of Caleb Wilson’s fractured left hand put salt in the wound from North Carolina’s 75-66 loss at Miami on Tuesday night. Playing through what was initially thought to be a sprain, Wilson scored a season-low 12 points while the Tar Heels struggled to come back from an early 10-point deficit and never led against the Hurricanes. Jarin Stevenson led UNC in scoring with 13 points, while Seth Trimble and Derek Dixon struggled for a combined 1-for-14 shooting from the field.

Despite the loss, North Carolina only fell one spot in KenPom to No. 28 and one spot in the NET to No. 25. The projections at Bracket Matrix average out to UNC as a No. 5 seed, with further implications teetering on Wilson’s timetable for returning. 

Looking at Pittsburgh: Sitting in last place in the ACC with a 2-10 league record, the Panthers are ranked No. 124 in the NET and are the second-worst team according to the NET rankings that UNC will face in conference play this season (Georgia Tech was No. 158). 

Pitt has lost seven of its last eight games, with its lone win an 80-76 overtime victory against Wake Forest. The Panthers are 0-9 in Quad 1 games this season and 0-4 against ranked opponents — No. 4 Duke (70-54), No. 18 Virginia (67-47), No. 20 Louisville (100-59) and No. 22 Clemson (63-52). 

Pittsburgh’s best and worst results of the season came in non-conference play, with a Quad 2 victory over Ohio State, 67-66, and a Quad 4 loss to Quinnipiac, 83-75, at home.

In his eighth year as head coach of the Panthers, Jeff Capel is on pace for his worst record since his inaugural season in 2018. Capel has led Pitt to one NCAA tournament appearance during his tenure as an 11-seed in 2023. 

Small Roster Opens Door for UNC Frontcourt in Wilson’s Absence: Luckily for UNC, Pittsburgh presents an optimal opportunity for the Tar Heels to navigate Wilson’s injury. As the smallest team in the ACC in average height, the Panthers have struggled to defend the paint and rebound this season. 

Over the past eight games, Pitt opponents have shot 60.3 percent from inside the arc and have attacked 6-foot-6 forward Roman Siulepa. The Panthers have also struggled on the glass throughout conference play, totaling the lowest defensive rebounding total in the ACC at 20.8 per night. 

If North Carolina wants to succeed without Wilson powering its offense inside, Jarin Stevenson and Co. will have to step up in his place, and Pittsburgh presents the perfect “warm-up” opportunity to do so. 

Offensively, Pitt has been without its leading scorer Brandin Cummings — who averages 12.5 points per game — over its last three outings. Cummings was listed as out in the ACC availability report prior to the Panthers’ matchup with Duke on Tuesday, and may not return in time to face North Carolina either. Capel has hinted that the injury could be season-ending.

Without him on the floor, Pittsburgh has struggled to score, amassing 55 points per game over its current four-game losing streak against Clemson, Virginia, SMU and Duke. The Panthers are last in the conference in 3-point percentage during ACC games this season at 29.1 percent from beyond the arc. 

However, Siulepa has seen an uptick in scoring since mid-December, averaging over 13 points per game, including a 28-point performance in Pitt’s final non-conference matchup with Penn State and a team-high 19 points against the Blue Devils. On the road, Siulepa has also shot better from deep this season at a 41.7 percent clip, and isn’t afraid to let it fly with a season-high 11 threes attempted against Duke. 

Damarco Minor runs Pitt’s offense at point guard and averages 9.3 points and a team-best 3.5 assists per game. However, at six-feet flat, the senior has struggled to score against teams with length in the backcourt, providing an opportunity for Derek Dixon or Trimble to make that trend continue.

Series History: North Carolina is 18-9 against Pitt all-time, including 11-8 as ACC opponents. The Tar Heels split with the Panthers last season, losing on the road 73-65, but winning in Chapel Hill, 67-66, to snap a three-game losing streak to Pitt in the Smith Center. Last season, Trimble averaged 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds between both meetings. 

Projected UNC Starters: 
3 Derek Dixon (Fr., 6-5, 200) — 5.8 ppg, 2.5 apg, 38.0% 3pt
7 Seth Trimble (Sr., 6-3, 200) — 13.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.6 apg
4 Jaydon Young (Jr., 6-4, 200) — 2.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
15 Jarin Stevenson (Jr., 6-10, 215) — 7.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg
13 Henri Veesaar (Jr., 7-0, 225) — 16.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 45% 3pt
Top UNC Reserves: 
44 Luka Bogavac (Jr., 6-6, 215) — 9.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.4 apg
0 Kyan Evans (Jr., 6-2, 175) — 5.0 ppg, 3.0 apg
11 Jonathan Powell (So., 6-6, 190) — 4.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 36% 3pt
1 Zayden High (So., 6-10, 230) — 1.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg

Projected Pittsburgh Starters:
7 Damarco Minor (Gr., 6-0, 190) — 9.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.5 apg
8 Omari Witherspoon (Fr., 6-4, 190) — 7.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.2 apg
22 Barry Dunning (Sr., 6-6, 195) — 11.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg
13 Roman Siulepa (Fr., 6-6, 220) — 10.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 spg
2 Cameron Corhen (Sr., 6-10, 235) — 12.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 52.0% FG
Top Pittsburgh Reserves: 
25 Nojus Indrusaitis (So., 6-5, 200) — 7.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 35.0% 3pt
4 Papa Amadou Kantes (So., 6-10, 235) — 2.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg
*3 Brandin Cummings (So., 6-3, 175) — 12.5 ppg, 2.1 apg
* Missed last three games with ankle injury

UNC Info:
Schedule/Results
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Stats

Pittsburgh Info:
Schedule/Results
Roster & Bios
Stats