PITTSBURGH — Jamarius Burton had the game of his life with a 31-point day as Pitt upset No. 25 North Carolina, 76-74, on Friday afternoon at Petersen Events Center.
The Tar Heels were a tall task for Pitt, as acknowledged by Jeff Capel, Burton and Blake Hinson Wednesday. As the preseason team ranked No. 1 in the country by the Associated Press, North Carolina came into Friday’s contest on a four-game win streak and set a tone with an 11-3 run in the first four minutes of the game.
“They’re as talented as any team in the country,” Capel said of North Carolina. “We got down early, but we fought and we stayed together. We got some unbelievable contributions from guys on our bench.”
The Panthers were down 40-34 at the half and were shooting 15.4% on 3-pointers heading into the locker room. That didn’t improve much, as Pitt only made 5 of 25 3-pointers on the game for the lowest 3-point shooting percentage of the season.
But that’s where Burton came in for Pitt. He missed his only 3-pointer of the night, but his mid-range game was elite, as he shot 14 of 16 on 2-pointers for the most points he’s scored in a game in his career. He also played inspired defense that limited North Carolina to just 43% from the field while the Panthers shot 46%.
“Jamarius was unbelievable throughout the whole game,” Capel said of Burton. “We rode him, he carried us, he made big plays, he defended, and it was an unbelievable performance.”
“I just give all the glory to God and keep it pushing,” Burton said when asked about his career day.
Burton inspired Pitt play after play, as he continued to drive to the basket to find his shot. North Carolina rotated several different guards in an effort to stop Burton, but the Tar Heels had no answer for him without doubling him.
“He didn’t do anything special, he just drove it,” Davis said of Burton. “He’s a guy that likes to attack the paint. He’s strong. He’s a problem when you put a bigger guy on him, he’s quick enough to go around them. You put a smaller guy on him, he’s big enough to post them up and get to a spot. We just didn’t have an answer for him defensively in a one-on-one situation.”
But it wasn’t just Burton’s offense that sparked Pitt, but also his defensive presence was part of an impressive defensive showing for the Panthers that limited North Carolina to its fourth-worst shooting performance of the season. Armando Bacot led the Tar Heels with 22 points and 13 rebounds, but he was limited to only three points in the final 11 minutes of the game.
“We tried to stay even keel,” Burton said about Pitt handling North Carolina’s hot start. “They went on some big runs. Bacot was off to a hot start. We just tried to stick to our plan and we understood there were other ways to win basketball games other than knocking down three-pointers.”
But Pitt never let North Carolina’s lead get past nine points, and that allowed the Panthers to stay in striking distance.
“It’s team defensive as a collective group,” Capel said about defending Bacot. “[Fede] Federiko did a great job to not let [Bacot] get into position. I thought Guillermo [Diaz Graham] came in and give us really good minutes. He scored a basket, got two rebounds and did a good job. We forced him into four turnovers. It was a collective effort to keep bodies on him, and hopefully wear him out. 37 minutes is a lot for a big guy, and maybe he got fatigued in the end.”
In the second half, Burton got some help from off the bench as Nike Sibande came into the game to provide seven points, three assists and three rebounds. He had back-to-back possessions with a made jumper created by a drive to the basket with 7:53 left, and then on the next possession drove to the basket and passed to an open Nelly Cummings for a 3-pointer that brought Pitt’s deficit to 61-60.
“I thought Nike Sibande really stepped up and turned the game around for us,” Capel said. “He didn’t play much last game, but I knew he would be important for us today. His energy, his driving, his passion, his ability to finish and his passing, all gave us huge plays.”
“Nike had a huge two-play stretch for us late,” Capel continued. “He drove it, drew contact, and scored. Then he came down, drew contact and hit Nelly [Cummings] for a three-pointer. That got the crowd into it and got us going.”
Pitt chipped away at North Carolina’s second-half lead and eventually took the lead with 3:59 to go off a Burton free throw. It was the first lead for the Panthers since a 3-2 advantage 39 seconds into the game. Pitt’s defense held North Carolina to just four made field goals in the final 11 minutes of the game.
“The keys we talked about were transition defense, keeping out of our paint, and rebounding,” Capel said. “I thought the difference in the game was in the second half, we defended and we rebounded. They had six offensive rebounds in the first half, and Bacot had five of them. They finished the game with eight [offensive rebounds] and Bacot finished with the five he started with.”
“In the first half, they shot 51 percent,” Capel continued. “In the second half they shot 33 percent. Our defense did it’s job. Then we didn’t give up offensive rebounds. And then we were able to go down, get some stuff in transition, execute and ride [Burton].”
Burton talked Wednesday about Pitt’s need to stop North Carolina’s fast break, and the Panthers did just that by allowing only six fast break points in the game.
“The emphasis started in practice for us,” Burton said of limiting North Carolina’s fast break. “We knew they were a transition team and how dangerous they were. For us, it was just about getting back, identifying a man, even if he wasn’t yours, but we had to get on somebody. We had to make them see multiple bodies.”
In the final minutes, Burton continued his assault on the basket, with another layup that gave Pitt a 67-64 lead with 2:55 left. But the Panthers needed other scorers to step up in the crucial moments; it was Blake Hinson who rose to the challenge.
With the game tied at 67-67 with 1:28 to go, Hinson had only made 2 of 9 of his 3-point attempts on the night. But that didn’t stop him from hoisting a 3-point shot with North Carolina guard D’Marco Dunn in his face, and making a huge basket that put the Panthers up. Hinson would score seven of his 16 total points of the game in the final 90 seconds of the game.
“We just continued to fight,” Burton said. “We knew they were a lethal team. We just needed to take care of the basketball, get stops, we’d get quality shots, and they’d start falling. Coach preached that to us all game. We continued to follow him and understand our shots would fall for us, and eventually they did.”
“The thing I was most proud of was even though we didn’t shoot well, we stayed together,” Capel said. “We still defended them. That’s a sign of maturity for our group. In the past, maybe they would’ve wilted, maybe even earlier this year. We kept fighting, we stayed together and we went on runs of our own.”
In the final seconds, Pitt needed to stave off a North Carolina comeback, and Hinson threw an inbound pass to Burton that allowed the senior to dribble out the clock for the win.
“What an incredible college basketball game,” Capel said after the game. “Want to give a big shoutout to our fans especially the students who filled out the Oakland Zoo. For us to not be in school and have those students here, it was an unbelievable turnout. We needed their energy and we felt their energy.”
But Capel also credited Pitt’s scout team for the work that the Panthers were able to put in during the week.
“Our scout team did a really good job pushing us this week,” Capel said. “Because of some additions in practice this week, we were able to actually practice with some 5-on-5. We haven’t done that much with our talented guys. I thought that helped us.”
That’s an obvious shoutout to freshman Dior Johnson, who returned to Pitt’s basketball program on Dec. 26 after a suspension for legal proceedings regarding assault allegations.
It felt like after a big win for the program, Pitt could credit its fans, its scout team, every starter and bench player for the victory. Capel pointed out how Pitt earned a win without playing the style of basketball that had been typical of their other wins this season, and how that’s part of the identity they want to build with this team.
“That’s the key,” Capel said. “Everyone has to be consumed with winning. Guillermo didn’t play last game, but he gave us really good minutes. Nike didn’t play much last game, but he was a big catalyst for helping change the game. It’s everyone. Could be a different guy each night. Guys cheer for each other, root for each other and play for each other. If we continue to do that, hopefully we have some success.”
Pitt leaves the game 3-0 in the ACC, with an overall record of 10-4. That’s a conference record that’s tied with Miami at the top of the conference. The Panthers’ next game is against No. 13 Virginia, 9 p.m. Tuesday at Petersen Events Center.
