The Pittsburgh Panthers take on the No.1-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels in the third round of the ACC tournament at the Verizon Center. The game gets underway at 12:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10 and will air on ESP and ES3.
The Tar Heels beat Duke 76-72 in their last game. Brice Johnson played a key role, recording 18 points and 21 rebounds to notch his 19th double-double this season. The Panthers, meanwhile, are coming off a 72-71 win over Syracuse in the 2. Cameron Johnson shot 8-for-16 and led in scoring with 24 points.
This matchup figures to be a high-scoring affair as North Carolina ranks 12th in the nation in offensive efficiency (116.9), while Pittsburgh is 26th (114.2).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Tar Heels won the first game 85-64. Johnson scored a game-high 24 points.
Notes
In its last game, Pittsburgh won by a margin of one point. North Carolina is 1-2 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Pittsburgh has a 2-1 record in close games.
The Pittsburgh Panthers rank 26th for their offensive rating of 114.2. The North Carolina Tar Heels have a defensive rating of 100.5 (ranked 49th).
The Pittsburgh Panthers average a field goal percentage of 46.0% this season. The North Carolina Tar Heels have a winning 3-1 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 46.0% or greater.
The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Pittsburgh Panthers both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. North Carolina is 111th and 27th in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while Pittsburgh ranks 126th and 76th in these categories.
North Carolina ranks among the best in the nation in assists at fifth (18.3 assists per game). Pittsburgh is ranked 14th with 17.1 assists per game.
North Carolina, the 62nd-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.4 per game. Pittsburgh does worse, ranked 137th with 3.7.
North Carolina is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking eighth. Pittsburgh ranks just 139th in defensive rebounds.
The Pittsburgh Panthers make an average of 4.9 steals per game. When the North Carolina Tar Heels give up 4 or more steals, they are an exceptional 22-5.
