CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Talib Zanna received the bounce pass, posted up his defender, turned and released a shot. The hand of that defender, North Carolina’s Brice Johnson, came down with force on the surface of the ball, sending it caroming off the backboard to force a turnover. 

That defensive stop came with less than three minutes to go in the game as Pitt threatened to overcome the Tar Heels and the 12-point advantage they had held just a few minutes earlier.

But along with his partner in the interior, junior James Michael McAdoo, Johnson continued to frustrate Zanna, a redshirt senior, as he had done all game. North Carolina held on to win 75-71.  

McAdoo owned Zanna, his opponent, in all facets of play on Saturday afternoon, helping North Carolina move ahead of the No. 25 Panthers into fourth place in the ACC standings. He led all players in points with 24 and rebounds with 12, nearly matching his career highs in both categories of 27 and 14, respectively.

In a game that held heavy implications for both teams in terms of conference standing, McAdoo wanted to ensure his team would emerge from Saturday’s game as the superior on the court and in the standings.

“The season wasn’t going the way that I wanted it to go, and definitely not the way as far as the team outcome was going,” McAdoo said. “So I think I kind of took it upon myself to step my game and take it to another level, and I think that has also come, in turn, with the team playing with a better sense of urgency.”

Pitt redshirt senior Lamar Patterson described the junior as “a freak specimen,” noting how his mid-range offensive game helped him to succeed as much as he did on that end.

“He did it all,” Patterson said. 

North Carolina (18-7, 8-4 ACC) has five players that stand at Zanna’s height or taller, and 6-foot-9 Zanna, the tallest person on Pitt’s roster along with junior Derrick Randall, looked outmatched. 

Zanna didn’t score his first point of the game until 10:47 remained in the second half, finishing with five points and seven rebounds. McAdoo, who matched up with him throughout the game, fouled out with just more than 30 seconds left in regulation.

Pitt sophomore point guard James Robinson acknowledged McAdoo and his teammates’ size and athleticism, but feels Pitt’s bigs are equally gifted.  

What stuck out to Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon about McAdoo’s play was his rebounding. “That’s what he does,” Dixon said.

Coming into the game, he averaged a team-high 6.8 boards per contest in that category. Dixon placed the blame for McAdoo’s success on Pitt’s post defense not playing well enough. 

“We’ve got to do a better job in that area,” Dixon said.