Panthers Face No. 4 North Carolina Friday in ACC Tournament Semifinals

Friday, March 15

Washington, DC

7 PM

Pitt

North Carolina

Tickets

Panthers Face No. 4 North Carolina Friday in ACC Tournament Semifinals

3/15/2024 8:55:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Men's Basketball

vs Providence

Oct 19, 2025 at TBA

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GAME 33 • ACC Tournament Semifinals

Pitt (22-10, 12-8 ACC) vs. [4/4] North Carolina (26-6, 17-3 ACC)

Friday, March 15, 2024 • 7:00 PM
Washington, D.C. • Capital One Arena
ESPN2 • 93.7 The Fan

Game Notes

Media Center

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pitt faces top-seed North Carolina Friday, March 15 in an ACC Tournament Semifinal matchup. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Jess Sims calling the action on ESPN.

THE OPENING TIP

The Panthers earned the double bye in the ACC Tournament with its highest seed (4) since joining the league. Pitt finished 12-8 in conference play to become the first team in ACC history to start 1-5 or 0-6 through six games and finish regular-season ACC play with a winning record.
Pitt advanced to the ACC Tournament Semifinals for the second time in program history with an 81-69 win over Wake Forest Thursday afternoon. Ishmael Leggett (30) and Blake Hinson (20) combined for 50 points and Pitt outscored Wake Forest, 39-0, off the bench.
The Panthers have won 12 of its 15 games since Jan. 20 with the 12 victories tied for third most among Power Conference teams in that span.
Pitt is 40th in the latest NET rankings with a 9-8 record in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games. The Panthers have four Quad 1 wins - at NC State, at Duke, and at Virginia and versus Wake Forest.
Pitt is shooting 47.8 percent from the field, including 39.4 percent from three-point range in its wins, compared to 35.2 percent and 28.6 percent shooting splits from the field and beyond the arc in losses. Pitt is 18-0 when posting a better field goal percentage than its opponent.
The Panthers have won their past four games by a margin of 15.0 points per game. Pitt has 17 wins by 10 points or more on the season, including eight against ACC opponents.

PANTHER SPOTLIGHTS

Blake Hinson is averaging 21.8 points per game, while going 15-of-27 (.556) from three-point range during Pitt’s current four-game win streak. He ranks among the ACC leaders in scoring (2nd - 18.9 ppg.), three-pointers (1st - 110), and three-point percentage (1st - .430), while scoring in double figures in 28 games and topped the 20-point mark 15 times.
Ishmael Leggett is averaging 13.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game off the bench over the past 15 contests. He has 12 of his 23 double-figure scoring games in that span, including a season-best 30-point outing in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinal win over Wake Forest.

BY THE NUMBERS

Blake Hinson (First Team All-ACC), Carlton Carrington (All-Rookie Team, Honorable Mention All-ACC), and Ishmael Leggett (Sixth Man of the Year) earned ACC accolades for their performances during the regular season.
Carlton Carrington has scored in double figures 22 times, grabbed five or more rebounds in 16 games and dished out four or more assists on 19 occasions. He is the only freshman in the country averaging at least 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.
Ishmael Leggett leads the Panthers in rebounding (5.5 rpg.) and steals (40), while ranking third in scoring (12.5 ppg.) and assists (61). He is looking to become the first guard to lead the Panthers in rebounding since Jaron Brown accomplished that feat in 2001-02.
Jaland Lowe is averaging 12.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, while going 24-of-56 (.414) from three-point range and 49-of-57 (.860) from the foul line, since joining the starting lineup (18 games). He has scored in double figures 14 times, while also playing 30+ minutes in 15 of those contests.
Pitt’s guard trio of Carlton Carrington (13.5 ppg.), Ishmael Leggett (12.5 ppg.), and Jaland Lowe (9.3 ppg.) combine to average 35.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game. The threesome has 61 double-figure scoring games and is a combined 206-of-249 (.827) from the charity stripe.
Blake Hinson has scored 20 or more points eight times and is averaging 19.8 points per game, while shooting 51.0 percent (100-of-196) from the field and 47.8 percent (54-of-113) from three-point range over the past 15 games.
Blake Hinson has made at least one three-pointer in 64 of 68 games and is now 207-of-511 (.405) from three-point range in his career at Pitt. He tied for 11th in the ACC record books with 110 three-pointers this season.
The post tandem of Federiko Federiko and Guillermo Diaz Graham combine to average 11.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting 54.9 percent (140-of-255) from the field.
Pitt leads the ACC in three-point field goals (9.63 3pg.) and has made 10 or more threes in a game 15 times, including nine times in ACC play.
Pitt has held 14 opponents under 30 percent shooting from three-point range and ranks second in the ACC in three-point defense (.309). The Panthers have won eight consecutive games when holding the opposition below 33.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
The Panthers have committed 10 or fewer turnovers 20 times overall and 15 times in ACC play to rank second in the conference in turnovers per game (9.12 topg.). Pitt’s guard trio of Carlton Carrington, Jaland Lowe, and Ishmael Leggett has a combined 2.02:1 assist-to-turnover ratio for the season.
Pitt is 17-2 on the season when scoring more bench points than its opponent. The Panthers have won the bench scoring battle in 12 of the past 15 contests.
The Panthers have won five of the past seven meetings with North Carolina, including three consecutive victories at the Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels won the only meeting between the two teams this year, 70-57, as the Panthers went just 5-of-29 (.172) from three-point range in the contest.

NCAA TOURNAMENT RESUME

Pitt sits at 40th in the NET rankings with nine wins in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games. The Panthers are 9-8 in the first two quads including Quad 1 wins over Wake Forest, at Duke, at NC State, and at Virginia.
Pitt, 22-10 overall, rebounded from a slow start in conference play to earn the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament with a 12-8 mark in league play.
The Panthers are 12-3 since Jan. 20 with the 12 victories tied for third most among Power Conference teams in that span.
Pitt is tied for fifth in the NCAA among Power 6 conference (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East, SEC, Pac 12) teams with seven road wins.
Included in the Panthers’ seven road wins are victories at No. 7 Duke (80-76) and No. 21 Virginia (74-63).
Pitt went 7-4 on the road this season and 14-9 over the past two seasons in true road games.
Pitt is the first team in ACC history to start 1-5 or 0-6 through six games and finish regular-season ACC play with a winning record. The Panthers are one of 136 teams in ACC history to start 1-5 or 0-6 in a slate of 12 or more games.
The Panthers have posted a 20+ win / 10+ conference win season for the second consecutive campaign and for the 16th time overall. Pitt’s 26 ACC wins over the past two seasons is fourth most in the conference.