Winning in the Atlantic Coast Conference is no easy task. You can ask the Pittsburgh Panthers about that. Entering league play the Panthers had a sterling 11-2 record, but they’ve won just one of their first seven ACC matchups and dropped six straight. Pitt may have hit a new low with a 55-point home loss to Louisville last week and will have to regroup quickly with a visit to the Dean Dome to face North Carolina up next on their schedule.
At 7 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Tuesday, January 31, 2017, at the Dean Smith Center.
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Beating the likes of Morehead State, Yale and Gardner-Webb in the non-conference portion of their schedule obviously didn’t help Pitt for the meat grinder that is the ACC. The Panthers were crushed 106-51 by Louisville last week and, though their game was better, the outcome was similar in another home loss to Clemson over the weekend. Pitt has failed to cover the spread in its last four games and is 0-3 SU and 1-2 ATS in its three league road games.
Now, the Panthers have consecutive road games at UNC and Duke to try and get out of their slump. The Tar Heels will likely be laying double-figures when the line comes out and that hasn’t been a problem for them at the Dean Dome. UNC is 6-0 SU and ATS in its past six home games with five of those coming as a favorite of at least 13 points. The Tar Heels haven’t lost at home this season, going 11-0 SU and are 8-2 ATS in games that had a betting line. After their debacle in Miami on Saturday, expect UNC to play with an edge.
Injury Report
The Tar Heels became a more balanced team when Theo Pinson returned to the lineup. Now it looks like the swingman will miss more time after sustaining an ankle injury in a game against Virginia Tech last week. Pinson spent the first 16 games of the season recovering from a broken bone in his foot, but once he was cleared to play, the Tar Heels took off.
Pinson got back on the floor against NC State on Jan. 8 and the Heels cruised to a 107-56 win. UNC went 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS in the six games he played before the injury occurred. The Heels saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end in the first game of his absence. Pinson’s versatility allowed Roy Williams to use a four-guard lineup that proved too quick for opponents to handle.
Player to Watch
Following losses to Louisville and Clemson last week, which extended Pitt’s losing streak to six, Kevin Stallings called out his seniors for a lack of leadership. One player the coach needs to be on his game is Jamel Artis, who leads the ACC in scoring. Over the past four games, Artis is averaging just 14 points, over seven points per game below his season average.
But when Artis is on, the Panthers can play with any team in the country. On Jan. 11, Artis dropped 43 on Louisville as Pitt covered the spread in an 85-80 loss. Two weeks later, Artis scored a season-low nine points and the Cardinals blew Pitt out in a 106-51 win. Artis averages better than 21 points per game and along with Michael Young are the only two Panthers that can score consistently. If Artis gets going early, the Panthers could hang close and smell the upset in a game they badly need.
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North Carolina is unbeatable at home and the Heels will be ticked off after their loss at Miami on Saturday. It was a game where everything went wrong as the Heels played their second game in less than 48 hours. With some rest and a fragile Pitt squad coming to town, the Heels should get the victory rather easily.
But this is the ACC and nothing comes easy. Pitt may actually be looking forward to this road trip after suffering their worst loss in program history in the 55-point drubbing to Louisville. They failed to beat a Clemson team on Saturday that had lost six straight, and hit the road in last place in the toughest conference in the country. I do like the Tar Heels to bounce back and shoot the basketball much better than what they did against the Hurricanes. Also, playing at home is worth a bunch of points, so take the Tar Heels to cover in this one.
College Basketball Odds: North Carolina 83, Pittsburgh 67
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