3 takeaways from North Carolina’s victory over Pitt in the ACC Tournament

Pitt took a swing at North Carolina in the ACC Tournament semifinal on Friday and definitely made things interesting for a little bit.

The ACC Tournament has been exciting so far with Duke losing to NC State in the quarterfinal round. Pitt tried to keep the upsets coming, facing top-seeded North Carolina in a tight game. Both teams had something to gain from a win outside of simply advancing to the next round.

However, North Carolina ended Pitt’s run with a 72-65 win. Here are some takeaways from another big game in DC:

Old school basketball for the win

North Carolina and Pitt were miserable from 3-point range as the game came down to which team dominated the paint. That team ended up being North Carolina.

The Tar Heels out-rebounded the Panthers 44-34 and scored 34 points in the paint compared to Pitt’s 20. Armando Bacot once again finished with a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds. Bacot’s 11 rebounds led the team and set the tone on the boards for North Carolina.

Pitt’s Guillermo Diaz Graham led the Panthers in rebounding with 7.

Tar Heels overcome 1st half deficit to advance

North Carolina figured things out in the 2nd half to move past Pitt after a slow start. This is something to watch as March Madness inches closer.

Pitt led by a narrow margin at halftime. However, at one point Pitt led by as much as 9 points in the 1st half. A sloppy start could end up costing North Carolina in the Big Dance if the Tar Heels aren’t more careful.

North Carolina must wait to learn who its opponent in the ACC Tournament final will be. It will either be NC State or Virginia, with those teams set to battle late Friday night on ESPN 2.

NCAA Tournament implications

This game had no shortage of meaning for both teams.

For North Carolina, another win in the conference tournament means another step closer to a No. 1 seed in March Madness. This was especially true with the likes of Tennessee being upset by Mississippi State on Friday. The Tar Heels will be in the ACC Tournament final for the 1st time since 2018.

Pitt needed a solid run in the ACC Tournament to earn a March Madness bid. Its hopes of making it to the postseason will come down to the opinion of the NCAA Tournament selection committee on Sunday.

The ACC Championship will be played on ESPN 2 with a tipoff time of 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night.