North Carolina (26-6) moves on to Friday’s 7 p.m. semifinal game against the winner of Thursday’s second quarterfinal game between fourth-seeded Notre Dame and fifth-seeded Duke.
The Tar Heels dropped a four-point decision at Notre Dame on Feb. 6. UNC and Duke split their regular-season meetings, with each side winning on the road (the Blue Devils by 74-73 on Feb. 17 and UNC by 76-72 last Saturday).
The Tar Heels will be appearing in the ACC Tournament semifinals for the 48th time, the fifth time in the last six years, and the eighth time in 13 years under current head coach Roy Williams.
UNC improved to 94-44 all-time in ACC Tournament play and to 2-1 in tournament games at the Verizon Center. The Tar Heels are 48-14 all-time as the No 1 seed.
Pitt slipped to 3-3 all-time in the ACC Tournament and to 1-1 at the Verizon Center following a second-round win over Syracuse on Wednesday. The Panthers are 9-5 all-time at the Verizon Center, including a 5-3 mark under current head coach Jamie Dixon.
Thursday win pushed the Tar Heels’ Williams’ record to 19-10 as a head coach in ACC Tournament games. Williams moved into sole possession of fourth place on the tournament’s all-time coaches’ win list behind UNC’s Dean Smith (58), Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (57) and Duke’s Vic Bubas (22).
North Carolina’s 88 points were its most in an ACC Tournament game since a 92-87 win over Clemson in the 2011 semifinals.
North Carolina’s .589 shooting percentage from the floor on Thursday was its fourth-highest ever in ACC Tournament play and the Tar Heels’ highest since shooting .590 versus NC State in the 1997 tournament finals. UNC has shot over 50 percent in its last three ACC Tournament games, dating back to last year’s semifinal win over Virginia and title-game loss to Notre Dame.
North Carolina posted its second-highest shooting percentage from the floor this season. The highest was a .593 effort in its regular-season win over Pitt on Feb. 14.
North Carolina’s Brice Johnson finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, raising his double-double total for the season to an ACC-leading 20.
Sophomore guard Joel Berry II led UNC in scoring with 20 points. Berry scored in double figures for the 27th time this season and finished one point of his shy career high (21 in a road loss at No. 3 Virginia on Feb. 28).
Jamel Artis and Michael Young led Pitt’s scoring with 19 points each.
Artis hit his first three shots from the floor – including a pair of 3-pointers – to lead the Panthers to an 8-0 lead at the outset of the game. He now has a team-leading 46 3-pointers for the season and has scored in double figures 24 times.
Pitt senior guard James Robinson started his 121st game, the second-longest streak in Pitt history. Robinson’s 134 career starts are the most among active ACC players and the most in program history.
Pitt and North Carolina now stand even at 1-1 in ACC Tournament play. The Panthers defeated the Tar Heels in the 2014 quarterfinals at Greensboro.
North Carolina is now 18-0 vs. the No. 8 seed when seeded first in the ACC Tournament.
The Tar Heels dropped a four-point decision at Notre Dame on Feb. 6. UNC and Duke split their regular-season meetings, with each side winning on the road (the Blue Devils by 74-73 on Feb. 17 and UNC by 76-72 last Saturday).
The Tar Heels will be appearing in the ACC Tournament semifinals for the 48th time, the fifth time in the last six years, and the eighth time in 13 years under current head coach Roy Williams.
UNC improved to 94-44 all-time in ACC Tournament play and to 2-1 in tournament games at the Verizon Center. The Tar Heels are 48-14 all-time as the No 1 seed.
Pitt slipped to 3-3 all-time in the ACC Tournament and to 1-1 at the Verizon Center following a second-round win over Syracuse on Wednesday. The Panthers are 9-5 all-time at the Verizon Center, including a 5-3 mark under current head coach Jamie Dixon.
Thursday win pushed the Tar Heels’ Williams’ record to 19-10 as a head coach in ACC Tournament games. Williams moved into sole possession of fourth place on the tournament’s all-time coaches’ win list behind UNC’s Dean Smith (58), Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (57) and Duke’s Vic Bubas (22).
North Carolina’s 88 points were its most in an ACC Tournament game since a 92-87 win over Clemson in the 2011 semifinals.
North Carolina’s .589 shooting percentage from the floor on Thursday was its fourth-highest ever in ACC Tournament play and the Tar Heels’ highest since shooting .590 versus NC State in the 1997 tournament finals. UNC has shot over 50 percent in its last three ACC Tournament games, dating back to last year’s semifinal win over Virginia and title-game loss to Notre Dame.
North Carolina posted its second-highest shooting percentage from the floor this season. The highest was a .593 effort in its regular-season win over Pitt on Feb. 14.
North Carolina’s Brice Johnson finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, raising his double-double total for the season to an ACC-leading 20.
Sophomore guard Joel Berry II led UNC in scoring with 20 points. Berry scored in double figures for the 27th time this season and finished one point of his shy career high (21 in a road loss at No. 3 Virginia on Feb. 28).
Jamel Artis and Michael Young led Pitt’s scoring with 19 points each.
Artis hit his first three shots from the floor – including a pair of 3-pointers – to lead the Panthers to an 8-0 lead at the outset of the game. He now has a team-leading 46 3-pointers for the season and has scored in double figures 24 times.
Pitt senior guard James Robinson started his 121st game, the second-longest streak in Pitt history. Robinson’s 134 career starts are the most among active ACC players and the most in program history.
Pitt and North Carolina now stand even at 1-1 in ACC Tournament play. The Panthers defeated the Tar Heels in the 2014 quarterfinals at Greensboro.
North Carolina is now 18-0 vs. the No. 8 seed when seeded first in the ACC Tournament.
