ACC Tournament: The Tar Heels Will Play the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Semifinals


(Photo Courtesy Greg Fiume/GettyImages) 

By JEREMIAH ARTACHO 

Washington, N.C. --- A crushing victory over the Florida State Seminoles earlier this afternoon has shifted the attention of Coach Davis and his team to the Pittsburgh Panthers, who defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons by double figures, 81-69. Now UNC can game plan prior to tomorrow's 7:00 p.m. start time. One victory away from getting to the ACC championship. 
 
The Tar Heels come off a strong victory against Florida State in blowout fashion, 92-67. North Carolina had four guys in double figures: RJ Davis, Cormac Ryan, Armando Bacot, and Seth Trimble. On top of that, the Heels had seven other guys who entered the scoring column for Coach Davis. 
 
It was a slow start for Carolina, but they eventually found their way after getting comfortable and began to string a few buckets together. The halftime arrived, and the Tar Heels saw themselves having a 46-30 run after the first 20 minutes of action. Armando Bacot led the team with 11 points and 7 rebounds. RJ Davis was right behind him with 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists. Harrison Ingram stood with the highest plus-minus of 19, reasonably so, considering the effect his presence makes on the court as such a versatile player. 
 
North Carolina continued to roll once the second half began, as Seth Trimble tacked on 10 points and a slam dunk down the lane, erupting the Capital One Arena. Elliot Cadeau added 4 more points to his outing as well as 3 assists. The sharpshooter, Cormac Ryan, did not miss from the field, going 3-3 FG and 2-2 from downtown. 
 
There are so many positives to takeaway from this first game of the ACC Tournament, but this is not the end for the Heels, as there's still plenty of basketball left. 
 
Pittsburgh sat around and waited for their opponent, just like UNC, and paired up with Wake Forest, a team they split the regular-season series with. Between a win at home and a loss on the road, the matchup could have gone either way. 
 
Ishmael Leggett, the junior out of Prince George County, Maryland, scored 30 points off the bench for Pittsburgh. The ultimate power-up the team could have asked for was adding on 8 rebounds and 5 steals through his 35 minutes on the hardwood. Blake Hinson shot the ball from the three-point line, leading the ACC with the most three-pointers made this season. Hinson had 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists while making 50% of his field goal attempts during his almost 40 minutes of action. 
 
The Panthers shot 48% from the field, 39% from behind the arc, and 80% from the charity stripe collectively. 
 
This will be the second time UNC and Pittsburgh meet again. In the last outing, the Tar Heels arrived at the Petersen Events Center and were victorious by a score of 70-57. Four different players for Coach Davis had at least 10 points, as Armando Bacot led the charge with 16, including 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. 
 
Another roadblock for Carolina, but it should not be anything they're incapable of overcoming. 
 
Survive and advance. 

Projected Starting Lineups 

Elliot Cadeau (FR)
RJ Davis (SR)
Cormac Ryan (SR)
Harrison Ingram (JR)
Armando Bacot (SR)

Jaland Lowe (JR)
Carlton Carrington (FR)
Zack Austin (JR)
Blake Hinson (SR)
Federiko Federiko (JR)

Key Matchup 

A key to stopping the Panthers offensive production is to stop Blake Hinson, who averages 19 points, 5 rebounds, an assist going into this matchup. That's why Harrison's Ingram defensive performance plays a huge factor in UNC's chances of coming out on top tomorrow night. Ingram heldd

The Projected Winner by the Numbers 

UNC is listed at -7.5 for the spread, according to ESPN BET. 

 

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