North Carolina has advanced to the ACC Tournament finals with a 72-65 win over Pitt.
Pitt went on an early 11-0 run spurred by Guillermo Diaz Graham. In the middle of the floor, Pitt used Diaz Graham in ball screen action. When Armando Bacot went in drop coverage, Diaz Graham hit two three-pointers, giving the Panthers a 15-8 lead.
Early on, Pitt’s defense was giving the Tar Heels trouble. Carolina’s offense struggled to get penetration even when the ball was reversing to the other side of the floor. At the under-12 media timeout, the Tar Heels were shooting 27%.
Pitt had gotten the lead up to nine before the Tar Heels went through a stretch of four made shots in a row. However, on defense, UNC continued to struggle with Carlton Carrington. Carrington continued to get dribble penetration, leading to 11 early points. He would finish with 16 points in the first half.
Carolina would go on a 14-5, giving the Tar Heels a 28-26 lead.
Halftime: North Carolina 33 Pitt 35
Carolina would take a 40-39 lead on an RJ Davis three-pointer at the 16:41 mark of the second half.
The Tar Heels started focusing, throwing the ball inside, eventually taking a 46-42 lead with 13:52 left.
Davis’ short jumper in the lane gave Carolina its largest lead (at that time), 56-49.
Yesterday’s hero, Ishmael Leggett’s three-point play cut the Tar Heels’ lead down to four. Pitt continued to roll, using a 13-6 run to tie the game at 62.
Davis again responded for Carolina by burying a three-pointer. He hit another three-pointer with 2:24 left, giving the Tar Heels a seven-point lead.
Carrington’s three-pointer with 54 seconds left cut Carolina’s lead to four.
Carolina would seal the game with free throws.
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