The UNC men’s basketball program has had its fair share of tests this season, with Pitt challenging UNC differently on Tuesday night.
The Tar Heels went through a series of tough opponents to kick off the season, facing four teams ranked in the Associated Press Poll whose talent matches up with UNC. Pitt, on the other hand, didn’t necessarily have the same talent impact on the game, instead, they used their physicality to lead the way, forcing the Tar Heels into uncharted waters.
Pitt had UNC number recently, with a 3-0 record during Hubert Davis’s tenure as the head coach. In those three games the physicality the Panthers brought, took the Tar Heels out of their game. The same result was on the verge of happening for a fourth time, with the referee’s whistle non-existent in the first half.
However, unlike the Davis teams the prior two seasons, UNC didn’t waver, instead, they got chippy back, eventually creating a sizable lead they could sit on. The gritty win didn’t go unnoticed, as UNC continued to gain ingredients for the National Championship recipe.
Following the win, Davis talked about UNC ending the three-game skid against Pitt.
“They were deserving of winning the three games prior to this. They’re a very good basketball team, extremely well-coached. It’s very difficult to win on the road, especially here. So we knew that we would have to fight competitively. We knew that we needed to be tough in order to come away with a win and we were able to do it.”
The win was a great start for UNC conference away trip, with Clemson and NC State next on the road map.
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