Pitt Drills No. 12 North Carolina 89-76
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) — Pitt sophomore Sheldon Jeter called out his teammates earlier this week following a 69-56 loss to Louisville with concerns of intimidation against the ranked opponent.
Entering Saturday's game against No. 12 ranked North Carolina, Jeter said he and his teammates had to be the aggressors to win.
Jeter backed up his words with a game high 22 points shooting 10-14 in his second consecutive start and an unstoppable performance in the 89-76 win over the Tar Heels at the Peterson Events Center.
"I felt like we had a lot to prove because our toughness and our manhood got questioned after the Louisville game and I think tonight we went out there and showed just how much of a man we are," Jeter said.
The Panthers came out strong and quickly built a 10-0 lead in the first half. North Carolina did manage to tie the game twice but Pitt held a solid lead throughout most of the game.
With 35 seconds left on the clock in the first half, Pitt held onto the basketball for the final shot which turned out to be a huge dunk from Mike Young to give Pitt a 14 point lead at half time.
"Getting that basket was great momentum for us going into half time," Dixon said.
The Panthers shot 61.3 percent in the first half and out rebounded North Carolina 17-10.
Pitt has struggled as of late to maintain a lead in the second half of games but that was not the case against North Carolina. Pitt shot even better in the second half 69.2 percent, including a perfect 7-7 to start the second half.
"I thought we were patient offensively when we needed to be," Dixon said. "We didn't take the first open one on the end of a press or at the end of some pressure or a trap and got lay ups for the most part."
The Panthers recorded a season-high 30 assists, 10 of which came from senior guard Cameron Wright who returned to play for the first time since injuring his ankle Feb. 7. Wright also finished with 15 points and recorded his first career double double.
An easy layup by Chris Jones assisted by Jamel Artis gave Pitt a 20 point lead with 12:31 left to play and North Carolina was never able to recover.
Standout guard Marcus Paige averages 14.2 PPG for North Carolina but was held to just 8 points against the Panthers.
"We just wanted to be more aggressive on defense and rebounding, we really stressed that at practice this week," Wright said.
Brice Johnson led North Carolina with 19 points and Kennedy Meeks added 15.
"We did want to contain their big guys but they are very good and they made some tough shots," Dixon said. "We changed how we guarded a little bit in the second half but they were still able to get touches and finishes because they are good."
Michael Young scored 13 points, James Robinson finished with 12, Artis had 11 and Jones added 10 points for the Panthers.
Considering Pitt's improved 19-6, 9-3 ACC record the win certainly helps the Panther's chances of making a NCAA Tournament appearance.
"It's my senior year so I'm really trying to go out there and fight and my teammates are right here with me," Wright said. "Every day, every game and every practice we just want to go out there and give it our all."
Pitt plays on the road against Virginia at 7 p.m. on Monday.
