UNC Basketball vs NC State: ACC Championship preview and prediction
UNC Basketball is trying to complete a championship sweep and NC State is trying to make history at the ACC Tournament on Saturday night. Prediction: UNC 82, NC State 69. It’s been an incredible, improbable run for the Wolfpack, which will make it interesting. But the Tar Heels’ tempo will help UNC pull away late.
R.J. Davis will be ACC Tournament MVP. (
Fayetteville Observer)
Tar Heels’ 9th Quad 1 victory makes NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed likely
UNC's eighth straight win and ninth Quad 1 victory Friday all but assured that the Tar Heels will be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Losses by No. 5 Tennessee (73–56 to Mississippi State in the SEC tournament) and No. 6 Arizona (67–59 to Oregon in the Pac-12 tournament), UNC’s competition for the fourth No. 1 seed, likely cemented that outcome. (
Tar Heel Tribune)
UNC vs. NC State ACC Championship Game Preview
The ACC Tournament championship game is set Saturday night with the top-seeded Tar Heels taking on 10th-seeded NC State. Carolina is playing in an ACC-record 36th ACC title game in 71 seasons. UNC muscled its way to a 72-65 defeat of a physical Pittsburgh team in the semifinals on Friday. The Wolfpack beat Virginia, 73-65, in overtime Friday night. (
Inside Carolina)
Video: IC Postgame Podcast With Justin Jackson - Tar Heels Grind Out Win Over Pitt
Host Tommy Ashley and John Bauman from Inside Carolina join former ACC Player of the Year
Justin Jackson to break down UNC's victory over Pitt in the ACC Tournament semifinals. Justin also takes listener questions, including whether he would ever want to coach, his thoughts on UNC's championship chances, and more.
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View Video)
North Carolina vs. Pitt Postgame Notes
North Carolina advances to the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2016 and a record 36th time in 71 seasons. UNC has won 18 ACC Tournament titles.
R.J. Davis became the eighth Tar Heel to score 2,000 points and the second to make 100 or more 3-point FGs in a season (102). The record is 105 by
Justin Jackson in 2016-17. (
GoHeels.com)
Lucas: Carolina Tough
Harrison Ingram said it in the Bahamas, what seems like years ago, and it was true then. And
Harrison Ingram said it Friday in Washington, D.C., and it was true then, too. What he said four months ago in Nassau after the Tar Heels beat Arkansas: "We have some big boys. We can bully, too." That's exactly the game they needed to beat the Panthers. (
GoHeels.com)
Taylor's Take: UNC Gets Past Desperate Pitt Team To Reach ACC Tournament Final
North Carolina will be playing for the ACC Championship Saturday, after the Tar Heels got past a desperate Pittsburgh team. Entering this game, Pitt had the motivation edge, perched squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Despite that advantage, the Tar Heels came in with the mindset that they aren’t satisfied with just the regular-season ACC title. (
Inside Carolina)
Second-half show from RJ Davis, Armando Bacot sends UNC into ACC Tournament final
Few teams can beat No. 4 North Carolina when
R.J. Davis and
Armando Bacot are at their best. They were in the second half, and Pittsburgh wasn’t up to the task. After halftime, Davis scored 19 of his 25 points and Bacot 12 of his 19 points as the No. 1 seed Tar Heels earned a trip to the ACC Tournament title game with a 72–65 win over the Panthers. (
Tar Heel Tribune)
Video: Tar Heels Advance Past Pitt To ACC Tournament Final, 72-65 - Highlights
UNC and Pitt traded leads for much of the game until
R.J. Davis and
Armando Bacot took over to help seal the Tar Heel win, 72-65, and a spot in Saturday's ACC Tournament final. Davis scored 25, while Bacot recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Cormac Ryan led UNC with a +8 on-court point differential. Check out the highlights.
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View Video)
Box Score: North Carolina 72, Pitt 65
View the complete box score from the No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels' 72-65 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers in the ACC Tournament Semifinals on Friday night in Washington, DC. (
View Box Score)
Video: Hubert Davis, RJ Davis, Bacot, Ingram Post-Pitt Press Conference
North Carolina head men's basketball coach
Hubert Davis, senior guard R.J. Davis, senior center
Armando Bacot, and junior forward
Harrison Ingram speak with the media following the Tar Heels' 72-65 win over the Pitt Panthers on Friday night at the ACC Tournament semifinals in Washington, DC.
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View Video)
Video: Jeff Capel, Pitt Players Post-UNC Press Conference
Pittsburgh head basketball coach Jeff Capel joins players Jaland Lowe and Carlton Carrington to speak with reporters following the Panthers' 72-65 loss to the No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday night in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
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Video: Trimble, Ingram, Washington, Cadeau Post-Pitt Locker Room Interviews
North Carolina sophomore guard Seth Trimble, junior forward
Harrison Ingram, sophomore center
Jalen Washington, and freshman point guard
Elliot Cadeau speak with the media following the No. 4 Tar Heels' 72-65 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Friday night at the ACC Tournament semifinals in Washington, DC.
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View Video)
Lucas: Rapid Reactions - UNC Beats Pitt In ACC Tournament Semifinals
Tough win for the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament semifinals, creeping past Pitt, 69-65. It's the first ACC title game appearance for the Tar Heels since 2018. UNC turned to
Armando Bacot and
R.J. Davis down the stretch. They combined to score Carolina's final 16 straight, with Bacot doing work around the rim and Davis making some tough jump shots. (
GoHeels.com)
Victory over Pitt vaults UNC to its first ACC tournament final in six years
No program has advanced to more ACC Tournament finals than UNC. But UNC had been unusually and, at times, unexpectedly absent of late. The Tar Heels had not reached the final since 2018 and last won the event in 2016.
Armando Bacot and friends addressed that first void Friday night at Capital One Arena and aim to fill the second Saturday night. (
Richmond Times-Dispatch)