NFL Tickets
The North Carolina Tar Heels hit the road to face the Pittsburgh Panthers in ACC action on Saturday.
North Carolina is ranked 12th in the country and sports an 18-6 overall record, including an 8-3 mark in league play. The Tar Heels won in their most recent outing, posting a 79-68 win over the Boston College Eagles in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Head coach Roy Williams has seen his All-American guard, Marcus Paige, pick up the pace in the second half of the season. Paige leads the Tar Heels in scoring, averaging 14.2 points per game. Sophomore forward Kennedy Meeks averages 12.3 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game. Junior forward Brice Johnson is the third Tar Heel averaging in double figures, scoring 12.2 points per contest.
Pittsburgh had its three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday by the Louisville Cardinals, 69-56 in the Derby City. The Panthers find themselves at 16-9 overall and 5-6 in the ACC.
Head coach Jamie Dixon is hoping his team can rally down the stretch to improve their chances to get into the NCAA Tournament. A win over North Carolina would definitely improve their resume.
Pitt is led in scoring by sophomore forward Michael Young, who scores 13.3 points per game, in addition to grabbing a team-best 7.8 rebounds per contest. Sophomore forward Jamel Artis averages 12.8 points per game, while junior guard James Robinson averages and even 10 points per outing.
North Carolina is playing to improve their seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, this will be a challenge, as Pittsburgh is tough to beat at home. Can the Tar Heels’ superior talent boost them to a win on Saturday? It says here that it can, even if it’s by a narrow margin.
Final score prediction: North Carolina 77, Pittsburgh 74
Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
Share 
