North Carolina Basketball: 3 keys for the Tar Heels against Pittsburgh
1. Slow down Pitt’s backcourt play
The Tar Heels will need to slow down Pittsburgh’s backcourt play if they hope to make this one a victory. There’s a battle in the backcourt brewing between point guards Xavier Johnson and Coby White, but Johnson isn’t the only guard they’ll have to keep contained.
Johnson has been the Panther’s leading scorer and distributor this season, putting up 16.3 points and 5.0 assists per game along with 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest. Alongside him, there’s freshman guard Trey McGowens, who was recently named ACC Freshman of the Week. He’s scored in double figures in nine of the Panthers’ 12 games this season and is shooting 15-of-20 from the floor in his last two appearances.
Off the bench, senior guard Jared Wilson-Frame has been a burden scoring and rebounding the basketball. Wilson-Frame is averaging 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds on 40.8 percent shooting from 3-point range.
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The Panthers will have their own hands full with Cam Johnson and his 47.8 percent 3-point percentage, but their backcourt strength will be something to keep an eye on. If North Carolina can get Xavier Johnson or McGowens in some early foul trouble and keep them off the floor, a road victory should be there’s on Saturday.