The 15th ranked the ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (11-3, 1-0) proved way too much for the upstart Pittsburgh Panthers (10-4, 0-1) on Saturday afternoon.
While Pitt had some nice moments early, it was an uphill battle from the start. Former Panther Cameron Johnson, who was met with boo’s every time he touched the ball, drilled the second early triple by North Carolina to give them a 6-0 lead. Pitt had an answer, however, as they rode the Xavier Johnson train on route to a 8-8 draw going into the first media timeout.
On the impact Johnson had on the Tar Heels preparation going into the game: “I didn’t sleep well very much last night thinking about trying to stop Johnson going to the basket.