#9 Panthers, #8 Tar Heels Clash in Top-10 Dual Friday Night

PITTSBURGH -- The ninth-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team [9-3, 2-1 ACC] travels to eighth-ranked North Carolina [11-2, 2-1 ACC] to take on the Tar Heels at Carmichael Arena Friday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Friday's dual will be broadcast live on the ACC Network and streamed the ESPN App or by clicking here.
Live scoring and results will be live on TrackWrestling.
Follow the team on Twitter for in-match updates at @Pitt_WRES.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt completed another weekend sweep, defeating Virginia, 23-10, and Davidson, 51- -1, Feb. 7 and Feb. 9.
The Panthers won seven of 10 bouts en route to their 23-10 victory over Virginia.
Sixth-ranked redshirt sophomore Micky Phillippi (133), No. 28 redshirt senior Taleb Rahmani and No. 9 senior Demetrius Thomas (285) all defeated ranked opponents.
On Sunday, the Panthers recorded five pins to defeat Davidson, 50- -1. It was the second time this season Pitt has scored 50+ points and the third time it shutout an opponent.
The Wildcats were deducted a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct at the conclusion of 133 pounds.
Rahmani, sophomore Hunter Kernan, redshirt sophomore Nino Bonaccorsi and junior Cole Rickert all pinned their opponents.
Redshirt freshman Louis Newell and Phillippi both won by bonus points.

THE SERIES - NORTH CAROLINA

Friday marks the 12th meeting between the Tar Heels and Panthers.
North Carolina leads the all-time series, 7-4.
In the last meeting a year ago, then-ranked No. 13 Pitt fell short to the No. 17 Tar Heels, 19-16, in Pittsburgh.
Pitt's last win over North Carolina came in 2015 when the Panthers captured a 21-15 victory in Pittsburgh.

SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS

North Carolina enters the match 11-2 and 2-1 in the ACC. The Tar Heels' only two losses have come against Stanford and NC State.
In its last time out, North Carolina fell to No. 3 NC State, 19-14. The Tar Heels won four bouts in the loss.
North Carolina returns six NCAA qualifiers from a year ago, including third place finisher Austin O'Connor (149).
The Tar Heels currently have seven ranked wrestlers in the second coaches' panel rankings of the year. North Carolina's highest ranking comes at 149 pounds with O'Connor ranked third. The other rankings include 133 (32nd), 141 (12th), 157 (14th), 165 (15th), 174 (30th) and 285 (29th).
North Carolina finished the 2018-19 season 12-7 overall and 4-1 against ACC foes.
The Tar Heels finished third at the ACC Championships and 19th at NCAAs.
North Carolina is led by fifth year head coach Coleman Scott.

PITT IN THE COACHES' PANEL RANKINGS

Nine Pitt wrestlers were listed in the second of four NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings and RPI, announced Thursday, Feb. 13.

Wt.	Name	Rank	RPI
125	Louis Newell	--	26
133	Micky Phillippi	5	2
141	Cole Matthews	23	--
157	Taleb Rahmani	28	30
165	Jake Wentzel	11	12
174	Gregg Harvey	21	11
184	Nino Bonaccorsi	9	13
197	Kellan Stout	--	25
285	Demetrius Thomas	10	6

The final rankings will be one of the criteria used as part of the selection process to determine qualifiers and seeding for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The rankings are determined by a vote of 14 head coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences.
For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days to be ranked.
The first two rankings (Jan. 24/Feb. 13) are used primarily for educational purposes to promote the selection criteria to coaches, student-athletes, media and fans.
The third ranking (Feb. 27) will be the ranking that will be used by the NCAA Wrestling Committee to assist in determining the advance allocations to each qualifying tournament. The final ranking following conference tournaments will be used to provide the most accurate and up-to-date rankings to the committee as an important element of the selection criteria during the in-person selection meeting.

PITT IN THE TOP 10

After ranking No. 10 for seven consecutive weeks, the Panthers now rank No. 9 as of Tuesday, Feb. 11. The last time Pitt checked in at No. 9 was in 2015.
Pitt cracked the top 10 of the NWCA Rankings Tuesday, Nov. 26 for the first time since 2015.
The Panthers had previously earned a No. 10 rankings eight times.

ACC WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS NOW ON SALE

Tickets for the 2020 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Championship are now on sale. The Championship, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh, will take place Sunday, March 8 at the Petersen Events Center.
To order tickets, visit theacc.co/20ACCtix.
- Ticket Prices (all seating is general admission):
- Single: $10
- Children (18 & under): $5
- Group (15+ people): $3/person
March 8, 2020 will mark just the second time that Pitt has hosted the conference championship since joining the league in 2013. Pitt served as the host institution on March 8, 2015 and saw three Panthers earn titles.

LOOKING AHEAD

Pitt ends its regular season versus No. 7 Virginia Tech Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Fitzgerald Field House.
Four seniors will be recognized in Curtis Decker, Taleb Rahmani, Kellan Stout and Demetrius Thomas.
The Panthers will remain home to host the ACC Championship Sunday, March 8 at the Petersen Events Center.

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#9 Panthers, #8 Tar Heels Clash in Top-10 Dual Friday Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nino Bonaccorsi

Curtis Decker

Gregg Harvey

Hunter Kernan

Cole Matthews

Louis Newell

Micky Phillippi

Taleb Rahmani

Cole Rickert

Kellan Stout

Demetrius Thomas

Jake Wentzel

#9 Panthers, #8 Tar Heels Clash in Top-10 Dual Friday Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nino Bonaccorsi

Curtis Decker

Gregg Harvey

Hunter Kernan

Cole Matthews

Louis Newell

Micky Phillippi

Taleb Rahmani

Cole Rickert

Kellan Stout

Demetrius Thomas

Jake Wentzel

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