Pitt falls to North Carolina on the road, 75-71

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Pitt was without its two best players for more than eight minutes on Saturday afternoon.

Even though the final score showed only a four-point separation, the first half foul situation proved to be a main factor in the loss.

No. 25 Pitt fell to North Carolina, 75-71, at the Dean E. Smith Center, in a loss that flip-flopped the two teams in the conference standings and most likely kicked the Panthers out of the top 25.

The Panthers (20-6, 8-5 ACC) first-half strategy changed drastically after redshirt senior forward Lamar Patterson and junior Cameron Wright picked up two personal fouls with over nine minutes still remaining.

The ACC Player of the Year candidate checked out directly after picking up his second personal foul with 9:35 remaining. He did not return to the game until Pitt trailed 35-29 with 1:15 to go in the half.

North Carolina (17-7, 7-4 ACC) played for the first time since beating Notre Dame, 73-62, on Feb. 8.

“Lamar Patterson is really a big time player,” North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said. “The first thing is that it helped he got two fouls and sat out all the time. I think that was the biggest part of it. He’s one of the most complete players I think there is in college basketball. He carries them on his shoulders.”

Junior guard Cameron Wright checked out at the 8:31 mark, after he too picked up his second foul. He did not return in the first half.

“There are games when I have played the whole time without picking up a foul,” Patterson said after the game. “I didn’t want to come out at all but coach has his system and he sticks with it.”

A four-point play by sophomore guard Marcus Paige in the final two minutes of the first half catapulted North Carolina on a 6-0 run that proved to be the difference as the Tar Heels carried a four-point lead into the break.

“Obviously, it is easy to step back and say otherwise afterwards but the game was being called tight,” head coach Jamie Dixon said. “That is what we have done. Our other guys came in and played pretty good, too.”

Both Patterson and Wright started the second half, but just over two minutes in Wright was called for his third personal at 17:52 and removed in favor of redshirt freshman Chris Jones.

Patterson and Wright weren’t the only Panthers in foul trouble, either.

Freshman power forward Mike Young picked up his fourth personal foul with over six minutes left in the game. Another freshman, forward Jamel Artis, stepped up and posted a career-high 13 points in Young’s absence.

The Tar Heels used their superior size and athleticism to open up a 12-point lead with 8:50 left in the game, as redshirt senior Talib Zanna struggled around the rim as much as he has all season. He finished with five points on 2-for-11 shooting.

Patterson, still with two fouls, checked out of the game for nearly the next three minutes.

After Patterson’s return at the 6:34 mark, Pitt reeled off seven straight points and cut the Tar Heels lead to just two.

The Panthers continued to claw their way back into the game but the North Carolina forwards, led by junior forward James Michael McAdoo who finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, continued to overpower whatever Pitt threw at them.

Despite playing a sloppy game, the Panthers found themselves down 68-65 with 1:30 to go.

An inbounds play to McAdoo turned into an easy layup and gave the Tar Heels a five-point lead.

After Artis converted three free throws on the other end of the floor, the Panthers had one more shot at tying the game in the final seconds.

An inbounds pass came to a wide-open Patterson on the top of the three-point arc but his potentially game-tying shot hit the front of the rim.

Patterson finished with a team-high 16 points in just 24 minutes, his lowest total of the season excluding his 21 minutes played in the first game of the season way back on Nov. 8.

The loss is Pitt’s third in its last five games, but comes at a time when the Panthers have eight days now to re-group before taking on Florida State at home.

“I think it important for us these next eight days to get back to how we were playing earlier,” sophomore point guard James Robinson said. “Just try to re-dedicate ourselves and get ready for the rest of the season.”