Pitt's clash with North Carolina will pull 1 team out of its slump

There is no need to place any additional importance on the men’s basketball game Saturday at Petersen Events Center matching a team stuck in a three-way tie for 11th-place and another that is one slot from the bottom of the 15-team ACC.

But Pitt and North Carolina better start winning soon.

• The Panthers (11-6, 2-4) have lost three of four games since resuming conference play Jan. 4. Coach Jeff Capel said this week it won’t be enough to win ACC games only occasionally.

• North Carolina (8-8, 1-4) has lost three in a row — all at home — since coach Roy Williams tied his mentor, Dean Smith, for fourth place all-time in men’s Division I victories (879). If the losing continues much longer, he may be too embarrassed to accept any praise when he eventually passes Smith.

One thing we know for sure: They will play the game Saturday until somebody wins. Here are some questions to ponder before tipoff:

1. How bad are things in Chapel Hill?

When the Tar Heels lost to Georgia Tech, 96-83, on Jan. 4, they trailed 34-10 at one point and played the first 13 minutes, 11 seconds without scoring a field goal.

Williams subsequently called the Tar Heels “the least gifted team I’ve ever coached in the time (17 seasons) that I’ve been back here.” He also said athletic director Bubba Cunningham “should probably fire me.”

A big reason for North Carolina’s slump is the absence of freshman guard Cole Anthony, a potential first-round NBA Draft choice who was projected to miss four to six weeks after having arthroscopic knee surgery Dec. 17.

It is more than four weeks since the surgery, and he posted on Instagram this week, “I’ll be back soon.”

What does “soon” mean? Who knows?

This we do know: Williams said he won’t rush Anthony back until he clears all medical hurdles.

2. What about Pitt’s freshmen?

Justin Champagnie has turned into one of the best in the ACC. He is seventh among freshmen in scoring (11.4 points per game) and third in rebounding (7.0).

“I haven’t surprised myself,” he said. “This is what I planned to do.”

Strangely, however, freshmen Gerald Drumgoole Jr. and Karim Coulibaly did not play in the past two games, with Capel using only seven players in close losses to Miami and Louisville.

Drumgoole, who played almost 20 minutes in the opener against Florida State two months ago, was off the bench for only 10 in the victory against North Carolina last week, getting one rebound and fouling twice.

He was limited by a sprained ankle during much of the nonconference schedule. Champagnie, who recovered from a knee injury before the season, has been counseling him.

“I tell him don’t be afraid because if you’re afraid you’ll never do it. If you want go dunk, dunk,” Champagnie said. “Don’t be afraid of your ankle.

“He has to get over his own mental hump. He has to just fight through what he’s going through inside, thinking about it. He’s got to play, instead of thinking about his ankle.”

Coulibaly, a native of Mali, has appeared in only three conference games for a total of 8:26 without scoring.

3. Can you believe this crazy ACC?

Pitt could benefit from a strange season in the ACC. Only three teams are among the Associated Press Top 25: No. 3 Duke, No. 9 Florida State and No. 11 Louisville. The Panthers have given the Seminoles one of their two losses. They took Louisville into overtime.

Nine ACC teams have lost at least six games overall, an indicator many conference games will go down to the wire.

With a short bench and a starting lineup consisting of three sophomores and a freshman, Pitt hasn’t proven to be a good finisher. In the last three minutes of three ACC losses, Pitt has failed to overcome two small deficits and couldn’t hold a seven-point lead against Louisville.

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