North Carolina arrived in cold, snow-covered Pittsburgh on Monday perhaps not in the midst of a season on the brink, but without question in the middle of one with an ever-shrinking margin of error. The rising pressure surrounding the Tar Heels had to be freeing,

Zack Austin scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:35 remaining as Pittsburgh executed down the stretch and earned a 73-65 victory over visiting North Carolina on Tuesday night.