Pitt
12-6,3-4ACC
North Carolina
8-9,1-5ACC
Johnson scores 20, Pitt Defeats North Carolina 66-52
1/18/2020 2:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH - Xavier Johnson scored 20 points, Ryan Murphy added 13 and Pittsburgh completed a season sweep of North Carolina with a 66-52 victory over North Carolina on Saturday.
Pitt (12-6, 3-4) needed less than 10 minutes to build a double-digit lead and never let the Tar Heels (8-9, 1-5) get back in it. The Panthers forced 16 turnovers and held North Carolina to 32% (19 of 60) shooting to take both games against the Tar Heels for the first time since joining the ACC in 2013.
Garrison Brooks led North Carolina with 16 points and 13 rebounds, but the Tar Heels couldn't overcome a disjointed opening 20 minutes in which they struggled to develop any sort of offensive rhythm. Senior guard Brandon Robinson started and finished with 12 points in 32 minutes. North Carolina fell to 2-6 without injured freshman star Cole Anthony, who is nearing the end of his rehab from minor knee surgery in December.
Pitt rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Jan. 8. The Panthers avoided another slow start in the rematch. Murphy hit a pair of 3-pointers during a 21-4 first-half burst. Three Johnson free throws gave Pitt a 29-11 lead before the game was 12 minutes old.
BIG PICTURE
North Carolina: Having Anthony in the lineup could go a long way to curing the Tar Heels' offensive troubles, but his presence alone might not be enough to shake North Carolina out of a funk that's seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Pitt: The Panthers showed a dash of mental toughness after blowing a potential upset of No. 11 Louisville on Tuesday night, when the Cardinals escaped in overtime following a late offensive rally. Pitt was on the Tar Heels from the opening tip. At one point in the first half North Carolina had twice as many turnovers (8) than field goals (4).
UP NEXT
North Carolina: Travels to Virginia Tech on Wednesday. The Tar Heels were upset by the Hokies in their last trip to Blacksburg, Virginia, in 2018.
Pitt: Hosts Boston College on Wednesday. The Panthers have dropped each of their last two meetings with the Eagles.
