Burton’s Career Night Fuels Pitt Upset Over UNC

PITTSBURGH, PA – – Charlotte-native Jamarius Burton dropped a career-high 31 points and added six rebounds to lead the Pittsburgh Panthers to a 76-74 upset of the 25th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday afternoon at the Peterson Events Center.

Pittsburgh (9-2, 3-0 ACC) has now won their first 3 ACC games for the first time since 2015-16 and has won nine of their last 10 games.

Entering Friday with four straight victories, UNC (9-5, 1-2 ACC) was beginning to resemble the team that was voted as the preseason’s top team more and more. They quickly ran out to an 11-3 lead against Pitt at the game’s start. UNC forward Armando Bacot had another stellar performance, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. For the Tar Heels, RJ Davis contributed 16 points.

The Panthers maintained a tight lead the whole first half despite trailing by a score of 40-34 at the break. Pitt took the lead for the first time since the game’s opening minute thanks to a 16-7 surge just before halftime.

Pitt did a great job offensively as they only had eight turnovers. The final ten minutes were when the players most clearly benefited from the intensity of the crowd.

Jamarius Burton, who scored 31 points on 14-17 shooting, was the overall outstanding player of the game. Blake Hinson contributed 16 points and added numerous significant second-half baskets for the Panthers. 

Pitt HC Jeff Capel mentioned that “Jamarious was unbelievable through the whole game…he carried us.”

The downfall of UNC’s game was their turnovers and defense. Pitt would go on multiple runs including a 10-2 run with only 3:00 to go in the second half. The Tar Heels’ offense settled for several contested threes instead of making plays. 

After the game, UNC HC Hubert Davis stated that “Nobody could guard him” when referring back to Burton’s big night. “Whether you’re at home or on the road, you have to step up and make those plays, and we just didn’t do it to win the game”

North Carolina drops to 9-5 as the first preseason No. 1 team to have five losses before the new year over the last 40 seasons.

The UNC basketball program returns home on Wednesday night, as they’ll open up 2023 with a contest against ACC-rival Wake Forest on January 4th at 9 PM. 

(Photo Courtesy of University of Pittsburgh Athletics)