Could victory against North Carolina launch Pitt to greater heights?

Six years ago in Pitt’s first ACC Tournament game, the Panthers ventured deep onto the conference footprint and defeated North Carolina, 80-75, in Greensboro Coliseum.

Jamie Dixon’s team repeated the victory a year later, 89-76, at Petersen Events Center.

Enjoy the memory, Pitt fans. North Carolina has won the past six games by an average of 19 points.

Can Pitt reverse that trend Wednesday night at Smith Center in Chapel Hill?

There might be no better time than the present to defeat the Tar Heels, who have been stung sharply by injuries.

Still, it won’t be easy.

Here are three reasons it might happen:

1. Pitt is embarrassed (or should be)

After losing at home to Wake Forest, its third defeat this season at the Pete, Pitt needs to prove it no longer belongs in the ACC basement (where it has finished the past two seasons).

Jeff Capel’s second season doesn’t have to end with an NCAA Tournament bid, but the Panthers should start climbing into the single digits in the conference standings (eighth or ninth place, anyway).

Looking ahead, if the Panthers (1-2 ACC) beat the Tar Heels, it could launch them toward a 6-3 record going into the Duke game Jan. 28 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Games at Miami and Syracuse and at home against North Carolina and Boston College do not appear as daunting as they did two years ago.

Is it too much to expect Pitt to win all five games? Perhaps. But the ACC is down this season.

Joe Lunardi’s most recent NCAA Tournament bracketology for ESPN includes only five ACC teams. Pitt has defeated three of Lunardi’s projected NCAA teams: Florida State, Rutgers and Robert Morris.

Yes, Robert Morris gets an automatic bid if it wins the Northeast Conference. But the greater point is Pitt should not lower its expectations.

2. Team needs to be more than X and Trey

When Capel was asked how Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens responded this week after the loss to Wake Forest, he said, “It’s not just Xavier and Trey.

“I didn’t single them out and no one should single them out. Just like when we win, it’s not just Xavier and Trey.

“This is Pittsburgh basketball. This is not Xavier and Trey and the Pittsburgh Panthers. We have to do it together. For the most part, we’ve done that all year. It just didn’t happen for us Saturday afternoon.”

Johnson and McGowens are the leading scorers, but Ryan Murphy and Justin Champagnie have made important contributions to Pitt’s 10-4 start.

Murphy is averaging 15 points and is shooting 55% from beyond the 3-point arc over the past three games. Champagnie is averaging 15.3 points and eight rebounds over that span.

3. Capel demands toughness

Pitt has enough talent to compete in the ACC, especially with the additions of Murphy, Champagnie and graduate transfer Eric Hamilton.

Now, Capel wants to see improved rebounding and more guys skinning their knees going after loose balls.

Pitt has five more rebounds than its opponents over 14 games.

That tiny edge won’t be enough for Pitt to finish .500 in the ACC, which should be considered a realistic goal.

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