Pittsburg, PA

UNC Basketball looks to start 2024 on strong note against Pittsburgh

Published

2 years ago

January 1, 2024

UNC Basketball looks to start 2024 on strong note against Pittsburgh

As the UNC basketball program begins the 2024 calendar year, one of their New Year’s resolutions should be focused on playing better against Pittsburgh.

The Panthers have essentially owned the Tar Heels of late, as Jeff Capel’s squad has won each of the last three meetings and five of the last six dating back to the 2019-2020 season.

Of course, North Carolina starts off the 2024 calendar with who else, Pittsburgh, as the Tar Heels will hit the road for their first road conference game of the season on Tuesday night.

9-3. UNC/Pitt. 9-4. 444. . 7:00 PM EST . 441. ESPN. Tuesday, January 2, 2024

It’s been a while since the UNC basketball program played a conference game, as their first (and only) ACC game up to this point came back on December 2. Pittsburgh is already two conference games in, but the first two didn’t go particularly well, as the Panthers suffered losses to Clemson and Syracuse.

For the Tar Heels, the hope is that Pittsburgh still won’t have a conference victory under their belt after Tuesday night’s contest.

When you look at what Pittsburgh has done so far in conference play, one area really seems to stand out.

Pittsburgh finds a way to get to the free throw line, but has struggled to capitalize.

Against Clemson, the Panthers knocked down 10 of 22 attempts at the charity strike. They went on to lose that game by 9, as the Tigers knocked down 12 of their 15 attempts.

In the recent loss to Syracuse, Pittsburgh made just 11 of 24 attempts, in comparison to the Orange making 24 of their 30 free throws. Syracuse made just three of 17 three-point field goal attempts but still went on to win the game by eight.

Free throws matter, ladies and gentlemen!

The Tar Heels have been effective at the line, knocking down 76.5 percent of their attempts. In order to win this game, capitalizing at the line may ultimately be the difference, as Pittsburgh has a knack for getting to the line, but hasn’t be able to take advantage of the opportunities up to this point.

The Tar Heels have played on the road this season, but this will be their first true road game of the 2023-2024 campaign.

North Carolina went 3-3 in neutral site games during non-conference play, as the Tar Heels saw a majority of top-25 caliber opponents in those games.

Heading into this game, it will be interesting to see how this Tar Heels team handles a true road game, especially against a conference opponent. Given what we’ve seen from this year’s group, the veteran presence should help calm the storm of playing in front of an opposing team’s crowd, but the first three games of the new year (all on the road) will give us more insight as to what this team is capable of doing this season.

The UNC basketball program lost both contests against Pittsburgh a season ago, with the latest coming in a heartbreaking fashion back on February 1, 2023.

North Carolina shot just 35 percent from the floor in a 65-64 loss on their home floor. Caleb Love led all scorers with 22 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Armando Bacot finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds as he set the UNC basketball record for double-doubles in a career with 62. Pete Nance was also in double-figures, as he scored 13 points in the loss.

No. 2 Elliot Cadeau (Fr. 6-1, 180) 7.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.7 apg
No. 3 Cormac Ryan (Sr. 6-5, 195) 11.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.4 apg
No. 4 RJ Davis (Sr. 6-0, 180) 21.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.6 apg
No. 5 Armando Bacot (Gr. 6-11, 240) 14.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.3 apg
No. 55 Harrison Ingram (Jr. 6-7, 235) 13.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.5 apg

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Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburgh and Vegas take the ice for non-conference matchup

Published

11 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Pittsburgh and Vegas take the ice for non-conference matchup

Vegas Golden Knights (28-17-14, in the Pacific Division) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (30-15-13, in the Metropolitan Division)

Pittsburgh; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Golden Knights -149, Penguins +125; over/under is 6.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights square off in a non-conference matchup.

Pittsburgh has a 14-8-7 record at home and a 30-15-13 record overall. The Penguins have scored 197 total goals (3.4 per game) to rank 10th in NHL play.

Vegas is 28-17-14 overall and 14-9-7 in road games. The Golden Knights are 27-6-8 in games they score at least three goals.

Sunday’s game is the first meeting between these teams this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Mantha has 21 goals and 23 assists for the Penguins. Benjamin Kindel has six goals and one assist over the last 10 games.

Mark Stone has 21 goals and 38 assists for the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev has seven goals and three assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 7-1-2, averaging 4.2 goals, 7.1 assists, 3.3 penalties and 6.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.

Golden Knights: 4-4-2, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.8 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.

INJURIES: Penguins: None listed.

Golden Knights: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Pittsburg, PA

Oneil Cruz Powers Pirates Past Astros

Published

23 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

PITTSBURGH — Oneil Cruz needs to have a great season for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026 and his strong Spring Training continued in their most recent victory.

Cruz hit a three-run home run off of Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Jayden Murray in the top of the fifth inning, playing a big role in the 5-2 victory at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla.

He waited on a changeup on the second pitch, 85.1 mph over the middle of the plate and sent it 106.4 mph off the bat and 368 feet, scoring both left fielder Billy Cook and third baseman Alika Williams with two outs.

That marks the first home run for Cruz in the Grapefruit League, who has had a great Spring Training so far, slashing .538/.600/.846 for an OPS of 1.446 in five games, with seven hits in 13 at-bats.

Pittsburgh got the win after the top of the sixth inning, after a rain delay ended the game.

Pirates Rookie Pitchers Have Up-And-Down Showing vs. Astros

Right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft made his second start for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League and dominated vs. the Astros.

Sep 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft (67) delivers a pitch against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Ashcraft threw three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and a walk, while posting two strikeouts for Pittsburgh.

Former Pirates pitcher, right-handed starter Mike Burrows, countered Ashcraft for the Astros. He threw three scoreless innings himself, allowed one hit and a walk and posted four strikeouts.

The Pirates traded Burrows to the Houston Astros in the three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Dec. 19, that landed them second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery.

Right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler made his second appearance for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League and threw two innings.

Chandler immediately loaded the bases, walking both third baseman Carlos Correa and first baseman Christian Walker, then giving up a single to center fielder Cam Smith.

He came back and struckout right fielder Taylor Trammell and got left fielder Zach Dezenzo to pop out, but gave up a single to second baseman Brice Matthews and a run to the Astros, before ending the inning with a strikeout.

Chandler also gave up a solo home run to Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes, on a slider down in the zone.

He finished his outing with three hits, three walks and two earned runs allowed over 1.1 innings pitched, before left-handed pitcher Derek Diamond got the last two outs of the inning.

Chandler struggled in his first Spring Training start vs. the New York Yankees at LECOM Park in Bradenton on Feb. 23, where he allowed four earned runs over 1.2 innings of work.

Feb 23, 2026; Bradenton, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Bubba Chandler (36) throws a pitch during the second inning against the New York Yankees at LECOM Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Pirates will need better showings from Chandler, who should serve as a key piece of their starting rotation in 2026.

Other Important Notes from Pirates Victory

The Pirates added two runs in the top of the sixth inning, as Cook hit a single that scored second baseman Nick Yorke and then Williams singled, scoring Cook to make it a 5-2 ball game.

Cook had just one hit in eight at-bats coming into this game and scored twice in the victory, as he walked before the Cruz home run.

Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna led the Pirates with two hits, a good sign for them, as they’ll rely on him greatly for his power and hitting in 2026.

The Pirates are now 7-2 in the Grapefruit League and tied with the Yankees for the top of the standings.

Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!

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