WASHINGTON, D.C. (WNCN) — North Carolina easily won their first Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament game against Florida State on Thursday afternoon, and now they have a Friday night date against a team coached by a familiar opponent — Jeff Capel and the Pittsburgh Panthers.
The Tar Heels (26-6 overall, 17-3 ACC) tip off against Pitt (22-10, 12-8) at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena.
As the tournament’s No. 1 seed, UNC got a double-bye into the quarterfinal round, and they quickly showed how they earned that spot. Newly minted ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis led the team in scoring with 18, and the Tar Heels collectively outrebounded the Seminoles 48-22.
Fourth-seeded Pitt led wire-to-wire against Wake Forest in their quarterfinal matchup Thursday afternoon, topping the Demon Deacons 81-69. Ishmael Leggett, the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year, scored a season-high 30 points off the bench for the Panthers on 11-18 shooting. Blake Hinson, who was the league’s second-leading scorer this season behind Davis, made four 3-points en route to 20 points.
UNC and Pitt last played each other on Jan. 2 in Pittsburgh, with the Tar Heels winning 70-57 in their only matchup this season. UNC leads the all-time series 9-7, but has lost five of the last seven games against Pitt dating back to the 2019-2020 season.
The winner of the game will face off against either NC State or Virginia Saturday night for the tournament championship. The Wolfpack and Cavaliers tip off at 9:30 p.m. Friday.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+ (subscription required)
Radio: 98.5 FM, 680 AM (Raleigh), 97.9 FM, 1360 AM (Chapel Hill)
Online radio: goheels.com
Betting odds: North Carolina is 7.5-point favorite over Pitt, according to ESPN BET. The over-under is 147.5