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The acronyms PITT and UNC tell the story of this rivalry renewal.
The Panthers and Tar Heels are about as statistically even as you can get. So the first of two season-defining games for both teams will boil down to, in my mind, what each of their letters mean.
PITT stands for Pure-Intimidation-Toughness-Tenacious. Jeff Capel’s Panthers have defeated Hubert Davis’ teams in three of their five meetings, twice at the Smith Center and once at the Peterson Center, where tonight’s 9 pm game will be played.
UNC stands for Unusually-Non-Competitive, which has drawn a challenge from Davis after the Tar Heels’ survival against Boston College. Hubert has said merely improving is off the table in favor of a complete change in attitude.
With both teams close in the NCAA NET Rankings (Pitt is 34, Carolina is 40), they also share space on the NCAA Tournament bubble. And their two meetings in the next 11 days will allow each the chance to push the other to the wrong side of it.
Pitt has a slightly better overall record (13-6) than Carolina (13-8). The Tar Heels (6-3) are ahead of the Panthers (4-4) in the ACC standings. Neither is ranked in any of the national polls.
Both have two players in the ACC’s top 20 scorers (Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett vs. R.J. Davis and Ian Jackson) and one player each in the top 16 in field goal percentage (Jackson and Leggett). They are led by point guards, Lowe and Elliot Cadeau, who both have three games with at least 10 assists.
Carolina does not have a rebounder in the ACC’s top 20 for the first time since the Heels played in the Tin Can or before Frank McGuire, Dean Smith, Roy Williams and Armando Bacot. Pitt has one, No. 20, who averages less than six a game.
Lowe has the second-best free throw percentage and is fifth in steals. R.J. Davis is fourth and Seth Trimble sixth. Pitt has no one among the top 15 3-pointer shooters. Davis is ninth with 2 per game.
Carolina is second in scoring offense and 16th in scoring defense. Pitt is third and 10th in those categories.
In short, the team that wins the first match-up will accumulate more points the hard way. And there is no love lost between the programs, which should make it even more intensely competitive.
Jeff Capel played at Duke and hit one of the most memorable 3-point heaves in Blue Blood history, sending the 1995 game at Cameron into overtime. His brother and assistant coach Jason Capel is barely in the Carolina Family along with others who played for the infamous 8-20 team in 2002.
From the opening tip, this game will not be for the weak at heart. And it won’t be won on marginal major-college talent alone. Pitt is the stronger and tougher team. Can Carolina meet the moment?
Featured image via Associated Press/Matt Freed
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.
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Chansky’s Notebook: Meet the Moment
The first of two season-defining games for both Pitt and UNC will boil down to, in my mind, what each of their letters mean.
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