Takeaways from North Carolina's loss to Pitt

Riding high on a four-game win streak that included its first two road wins of the season and a statement victory over N.C. State, UNC was quickly grounded on Wednesday night. 

The Tar Heels suffered their first home defeat of the season, losing to Pitt, 65-64, in a chippy, back-and-forth battle. Coming into the game 10-0 at the Dean E. Smith Center, UNC got going early, riding a brilliant offensive performance from junior guard Caleb Love who scored nine points in the first eight minutes of the game. 

UNC quickly went cold, however, going on a four-minute scoring drought in the middle of the period that allowed Pitt to climb back into the game and take the lead. From there, the Tar Heels couldn't pull away. The game had a total of 12 lead changes and was tied eight times before a defensive foul on junior guard R.J. Davis during Pitt's last possession allowed Jamarius Burton to hit the game-clinching free throws for the Panthers. 

Pitt has beaten UNC three times dating back to the 2021-22 season, including twice this year, winning the first meeting in Pittsburgh by two. Here are some takeaways for the Tar Heels from the most recent edition of the series. 

Armando Bacot can't not be involved

Senior center Armando Bacot attempted only 10 shots on Wednesday night, the fourth-most of any Tar Heel. He's taken the back seat in scoring opportunities before, but he hasn't taken the fourth-most shots on the team since the game against Portland in November. 

In the first half of the Pitt loss, Love, Nance and Davis took the bulk of the shot attempts, with Love and Nance actually making them early on. That's good for the Tar Heels' offense, especially when Love is scoring at the rim and from three, but it really hurts the team when the shots stop falling. 

During the period's four-minute scoring drought, Bacot only attempted two layups, one of which came after an offensive rebound. Love and Davis missed four shots, including two three-pointers.

The guards weren't looking for Bacot in the post, keeping him totally out of some offensive possessions early on. They have to do a better job of delegating when they begin to struggle because once Bacot established dominance down low, it opens up opportunities for the guards on the perimeter. 

The only assist to Bacot in the first half came from Davis with four minutes to go, and it resulted in an and-one. 

UNC can't let the same man beat it twice

In the first meeting between UNC and Pitt this season, Burton was unstoppable, exploding for a career-high 31 points without taking a single three-pointer. 

It looked to be a different story the second time around. Graduate forward Leaky Black did an exceptional job of containing him in the first half as he shot 1-7 from the floor and had to earn four of his seven points from the free throw line. 

Yet, Burton lifted his production in the second half and benefitted from Black picking up his third and fourth fouls that limited his defensive abilities. 

Burton poured in 12 points on 5-11 shooting from inside the arc, leading both teams in scoring in the final 20 minutes and eventually making the final free throws to give Pitt the win at the end. 

For the Tar Heels, it's disappointing to allow the same player to make such an impact on the game. Historically, Burton hasn't taken many threes, getting most of his points from driving and hitting mid-range shots, and UNC didn't do a good job of keeping him on the perimeter. 

In the final moments, getting the ball out of his hands should've been a point of emphasis, considering Burton is Pitt's most reliable option and leading scorer. 

Caleb Love coming out of a slump?

On a positive note, Love looks to be coming out of the three-point shooting woes that have plagued him for most of the season. 

Love made four shots from beyond the arc on Wednesday, hitting three of them in the first half. 

He didn't finish the game well from long distance (1-5 from three in the second half), but he has now shot over 33 percent from three in back-to-back games for the first time this season. 

Love's shot selection appears to be improving as well as he's relying more on his driving ability when his perimeter shots are not falling. 

Over the last two games, Love is averaging 18.5 points and shooting 48 percent from the floor. 

Can he keep it up throughout the rest of ACC play?