Tar Heels can’t handle pressure
Panthers’ 11 steals highlight defense that creates offense with turnovers
North Carolina coach Roy Williams shuffled into Petersen Events Center media room seven days after losing to Clemson at home — the selfproclaimed “lowest” moment of his coaching career.
Williams’ Tar Heels were worked yet again Saturday. Only this time North Carolina didn’t collapse in the final minutes. It was ransacked in the first half by Pitt’s purposefully assertive defense.
In their 66-52 win, the Panthers logged 11 steals — their most against a major conference program since Dec. 8, 2018. Seven of those steals and four of Pitt’s six blocks came in the first half, when Pitt pummeled the Chapel Hill powerhouse, 43-23.
Pitt coach Jeff Capel wasn’t surprised by that aggression, that verve. The Panthers owned the third-best scoring defense in the ACC entering Saturday. Plus, the Tar Heels were still without point guard and likely lottery pick Cole Anthony, who is recovering from a knee injury. Capel said that’s something the Panthers were “cognizant of.”
“We wanted to pressure them,” Capel said, before emphasizing North Carolina’s 6foot-10 center Armando Bacot and 6-9 forward Garrison Brooks. “We’re not as big as they are up front, especially when they play those two bigs together . ... I thought our pressure could help combat that.”
And it worked. Pitt sharpshooter Ryan Murphy, who collected a team-high three steals, said he and his teammates forced North Carolina to live and collect passes around the perimeter.
“They had to work harder for their catches, and as you work harder, you sometimes get lazy when you run a pattern,” Murphy said. “Guys jump the gap, get steals, get in transition . ... It’s like a jailbreak. Everybody sprints.”
Pitt had only five fastbreak points, but poured in 23 points off of North Carolina’s 16 turnovers. In the first half alone, the Panthers tallied 18 points off of turnovers.
Even when it didn’t score off a Tar Heels misfortune, Pitt’s guards kept Williams’ squad from striking distance. With 6:30 to go, an alley-oop to Terrell Brown extended Pitt’s lead to 59-42. Instead of responding on the next possession, North Carolina forward Justin Pierce was stalked by three Panthers; Murphy picked his pocket, and the crowd roared yet again.
Pitt failed to make anything of the ensuing possession, but it didn’t matter. The Panthers’ lead was wide enough that forcing a few turnovers in the second half finished off the Tar Heels.
“The turnovers early just set us so far back,” Williams said. “They put us back on our heels.”
Pitt’s defense was the driving force Saturday. Perhaps it’s a sign of things to come. Guard Xavier Johnson said the Panthers — who allowed 79 points to Canisius Dec. 30 and let Miami shoot 52.9% from the field last week — “weren’t playing defense” in recent weeks. Or at least defense the team played before Christmas, when the Panthers held nine teams to 61 points or fewer.
Against Boston College (64.1 ppg, 324th in Division I entering Saturday) Wednesday night at home, Pitt has another chance to assert its dominance defensively. And if it does, the Panthers will have something to lean on as they face Syracuse and Duke on the road in a four-day span.