Men's College Basketball
Preview
North Carolina at Pittsburgh
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Where: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Both coming off wins and needing more to boost their respective NCAA Tournament resumes, visiting North Carolina and Pitt will tangle on Tuesday night.

The Tar Heels (13-8, 6-3 ACC) and Panthers (13-6, 4-4) both ended losing streaks on Saturday. On its home floor, North Carolina squeaked out a six-point overtime victory over Boston College, while Pitt bested Syracuse by four points in upstate New York.

According to the current NET rankings, a victory for UNC on Tuesday would go down as a Quad 1 win, while a triumph for Pitt would be a tally in the Quad 2 column. The teams will also play on Feb. 8 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Without Armando Bacot patrolling the paint this season, the Tar Heels have opted for a small-ball, fast-paced style that has them scoring 82.5 points per game, which ranks second in the ACC. The Tar Heels, however, haven't been all that effective on 3-point attempts. Their 32.3 percent success rate is 13th in the ACC.

"The makeup of their team is different. At times, like last game, they started four guards. So, if any of those guards get it, they're all able to push and attack," Pitt coach Jeff Capel said of the Tar Heels. "I do think they're playing faster than they have the past few years."

Those guards all score in double figures. RJ Davis puts up 17.7 points per game, followed by Ian Jackson (15), Seth Trimble (12.4) and Elliot Cadeau (10.7, plus a team-high 6.1 assists). Davis, an All-American a season ago, had 22 points against Boston College.

Pitt has its own talented guards leading the way: sophomore Jaland Lowe and senior Ishmael Leggett. Lowe posts 17.6 points and 5.7 assists per game, while Leggett averages 16.6 points and 5.6 rebounds.

Against Syracuse, the backcourt duo combined for 38 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

"They've got a number of guys that can get hot from 3. They've got guards that are good with the ball, whether it's one-on-one or pick-and-roll situations. They can create shots not only for themselves, but for their teammates," UNC coach Hubert Davis said of Pitt. "Coach Capel does a great job."

North Carolina is beginning a stretch of four road games in their next five. The Tar Heels swept the Panthers last season and are 10-7 against Pitt since it joined the ACC in 2013.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk Home Away Neutral Day Night Conf
North Carolina 13-8 W1 8-2 3-3 2-3 6-2 7-6 6-3
Pittsburgh 13-6 W1 9-2 3-3 1-1 6-2 7-4 4-4
Last Meeting
North Carolina Pittsburgh
Date Away Home Pts Reb FG% Pts Reb FG%
3/15/24 PITT 65 UNC 72 72 38 43.3 65 29 38.5
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Points Player Total FG% FTM
North Carolina R. Davis 25 44.4 6
Pittsburgh C. Carrington 24 52.9 2
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
North Carolina A. Bacot 11 5 6
Pittsburgh G. Diaz Graham 7 2 5
Assists Player  
North Carolina S. Trimble 4
Pittsburgh J. Lowe 4
Season
Points Player Total FG% FTM
North Carolina R. Davis 371 39.3 88
Pittsburgh J. Lowe 334 38.5 96
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
North Carolina J. Washington 106 35 71
Pittsburgh C. Corhen 111 42 69
Assists Player  
North Carolina E. Cadeau 128
Pittsburgh J. Lowe 109
Quickchart Matchup
blue bar North Carolina Off vs  red bar Pittsburgh Defense
blue bar 82.5 Points For
red bar 70.9 Points Against
blue bar 47.0 FG%
red bar 42.4 FG%
blue bar 34.3 Reb
red bar 30.6 Reb
red bar Pittsburgh Off vs  blue bar North Carolina Defense
red bar 80.2 Points For
blue bar 76.4 Points Against
red bar 47.2 FG%
blue bar 42.3 FG%
red bar 32.1 Reb
blue bar 33.2 Reb