University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
February 1, 2017 | Men's Basketball
By Adam Lucas
1. Well, it's a win. Pitt played one of its best games of the season and Carolina was somewhat stagnant but still emerged with an 80-78 win.
2. Carolina dominated the backboards against an outsized Panther squad. The Tar Heels held a 15-6 edge on the offensive glass and had a 20-6 advantage in second chance points.
3. Some very interesting choices in the final ten seconds of the game. After taking a timeout with 9.7 seconds left and a three-point lead, Roy Williams ordered his team--which had committed just five team fouls--to give a foul, and then foul again. Justin Jackson committed both, while Jamel Artis tried frantically to make it look like he was attempting a three-pointer. The officials didn't buy it, and the strategy eventually paid off, preventing a Pitt team that had already made 13 three-pointers from ever getting a good look at a potential game-tying three-pointer (the shot at the buzzer never got close).
4. Get used to seeing the zone. Pitt played almost exclusively zone a couple days after Miami went almost all zone. Georgia Tech, of course, also beat the Tar Heels with zone. Carolina took 41.4% of its shots from beyond the three-point line (24 of 58). Joel Berry and Justin Jackson took nine three-pointers apiece; Berry attempted just three two-point baskets.
5. Keep in mind this was a Panther team that had been porous defensively for much of the conference slate, ranking last or next to last in several defensive categories.
6. Your nightly Kenny Williams hustle play update: the sophomore drew charges on back to back possessions in the first half.
7. You know it's getting closer to March when Roy Williams starts using his timeouts a little more liberally. The Tar Heel head coach called his use-it-or-lose-it timeout in the first half with 24.5 seconds left. However, former Williams assistant Kevin Stallings knows his mentor well, and brought Pitt back out in a box-and-one on Justin Jackson. That locked down the original Carolina play call, but Luke Maye made it work out by grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring at the buzzer.
8. Good energy from Isaiah Hicks, who made several aggressive plays when the UNC offense wasn't flowing very well. Hicks, who stayed out of foul trouble and was called for just two fouls, was able to stay on the floor and make some difference-making plays late.
9. Justin Jackson needs to get refocused on his late game free throws. The junior missed one of two with 9.7 seconds left that allowed Pitt to stay in the game.
10. Jackson was far from the only offender at the charity stripe. Nate Britt and Isaiah Hicks both missed what could have been big shots.
11. Pittsburgh was incredibly efficient on turning UNC turnovers into points. Carolina committed just eight turnovers in the game, but the Panthers turned that into 16 points.
