No. 13 Pitt Hosts No. 17 North Carolina Saturday

PITTSBURGH – The 13th-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team faces its fifth ranked opponent of the year when it hosts No. 17 North Carolina Saturday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Saturday's dual will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and may be viewed on WatchESPN/WatchESPN app.
Live results for the duals can be found on TrackWrestling.
Follow the team on Twitter for updates at @Pitt_WRES.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt suffered its second consecutive loss of the year Friday, Jan. 25, dropping a 27-6 decision in the ACC opener to No. 12 Virginia Tech.
Redshirt junior Taleb Rahmani (157) and junior Demetrius Thomas (285) were the lone Panthers to record wins in Blacksburg.
Redshirt freshman Micky Phillippi (133) suffered his first loss since he met with then-ranked No. 2 Nick Suriano back in December. Phillippi dropped a 5-3 decision to then-ranked No. 14 Korbin Myers.

THE SERIES

The Panthers and Tar Heels clash for the 11th time in program history Saturday afternoon.
North Carolina leads the all-time series 6-4 and have claimed the last three meetings.
The two teams last met a year ago in Chapel Hill, which resulted in a 26-10 win for UNC.
The series dates back to the 1982 season.

SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS

Prior to making the trip to Pittsburgh, North Carolina will first stop at Bucknell to take on the Bison Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.
The Tar Heels enter the weekend ranked No. 17 in this week's USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll.
North Carolina took down No. 25 Virginia in its ACC opener last weekend, 22-13.
Three Tar Heels rank amongst the top 20 in their respective weight classes in No. 4 Austin O'Connor (149), No. 14 Chip Ness (184) and No. 14 Kennedy Monday (165).
Seven North Carolina wrestlers were ranked in the first of four NCAA Division I Coaches' Panel Rankings.
UNC finished the 2017-18 season 9-11 overall with a 3-2 mark against ACC opponents.
The Tar Heels finished third (52.5 points) at the ACC Championships and 20th (27.0) at the NCAA Championships a year ago.

HEY MICKY!

Redshirt freshman Micky Phillippi has made a name for himself in his first collegiate season with the Panthers.
A native of nearby Derry, Pa., Phillippi is 13-2 on the year with a 9-1 dual record and is 6-2 against ranked opponents.
Phillippi is a two-time ACC Wrestler of the Week (12/4/18, 1/22/19).
Phillippi has suffered just two losses this season, with the first coming at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite Dec. 1 when he dropped an 11-3 major decision to then-ranked No. 2 Nick Suriano of Rutgers.
He then fell in a 5-3 decision to then-ranked No. 14 Korbin Myers of Virginia Tech Jan. 25.
Phillippi has defeated four opponents ranked inside the top 10 by InterMat.
Phillippi has climbed the rankings this season as he entered the year ranked No. 13 by InterMat and has reached as high as No. 2.
Following his runner-up finish at the Las Vegas Invite, Phillippi was named ACC Wrestler of the Week for the first time in his career Dec. 4, 2018.

PANTHERS IN THE POLLS

Pitt stays at No. 13 for the second consecutive week in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll.
The Panthers check in at No. 13 and 14 for the first time since 2015.
Following its notable win over No. 14 UNI Nov. 17, Pitt jumped into the top 25 of the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll at No. 24.
The Panthers joined the top 25 for the first time since Dec. 5, 2017. Pitt began the 2017-18 season ranked, where they spent five weeks before dropping out.
Individually, four Panthers are ranked inside the top 20 individually by InterMat at their respective weight classes:
- Micky Phillippi, 133 / #5
- Taleb Rahmani, 157 / #12
- Nino Bonaccorsi, 184 / #12
- Demetrius Thomas, 285 / #13

LOOKING AHEAD

Pitt heads to the state of North Carolina for three duals beginning with a doubleheader at Gardner-Webb Saturday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m., followed by a short trip to Davidson for a 7 p.m. start.
The Panthers conclude the weekend in Raleigh on Sunday, Feb. 10, taking on No. 8 NC State at 1 p.m.

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