There have been signs that No. 25 North Carolina is getting into a groove, and now after a more than a week layoff, the Tar Heels have another chance to show their improvement.

North Carolina will begin the sizable portion of its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule by visiting Pittsburgh on Friday afternoon.

“I feel like we’re in a great situation and our group is definitely battle-tested,” Tar Heels guard Caleb Love said. “It’s good for us when our back is against the wall and how we fight back. Anything thrown at us, we’re going to overcome it.”

North Carolina (9-4, 1-1 ACC) has won four games in a row. Pittsburgh (9-4, 2-0) will be playing its ACC home opener.

The Tar Heels have displayed a more intense nature in recent games.

“Motivating them to be at their best,” coach Hubert Davis said.

The Tar Heels began the season at No. 1, but they were all the way out of the rankings by early December following a four-game losing streak. They spent three weeks out of the poll.

North Carolina forward Armando Bacot has raised his level the past couple of games, averaging 27 points in those two outings.

“I think he has been at his best,” Davis said. “He’s playing with a hunger and a thirst. He’s really playing hard and getting the ball in the right position. He has been really special, not just offensively but defensively as well.”

Pittsburgh’s Blake Hinson received co-ACC Player of the Week honors for his efforts last week in an 84-82 victory at Syracuse. The transfer from Mississippi racked up 25 points and 13 rebounds to boost his team-leading averages in both categories (17.2, 7.4).

The Panthers, who also own an ACC road victory at North Carolina State, are riding a three-game winning streak.

“Nobody came here to be just 2-0 (in the ACC),” Hinson said. “This is what I envisioned when I signed up to play ACC basketball.”

Pittsburgh has racked up 10 or more 3-point baskets in five of its past seven games. The Panthers will turn attention to protecting the defensive glass after Syracuse had 15 offensive rebounds.

“We have to be better there,” Pittsburgh coach Jeff Capel said. “… We’ve continued to work and get better.”

The only common opponent for the teams is Michigan, which beat Pittsburgh 91-60 on Nov. 16 in New York and then lost to North Carolina 80-76 last week in Charlotte, N.C.

The Tar Heels pulled out a close game against Ohio State on Dec. 17 before upending Michigan in another tight contest.

“We trust one another to go ahead and make a big-time play when it matters,” North Carolina guard RJ Davis said.

Pittsburgh won the only meeting last season, topping the host Tar Heels 76-67 in a Feb. 16 game that at the time put North Carolina’s postseason prospects in serious jeopardy. After that result, the Tar Heels lost only once more until falling in the national championship game to Kansas.

Among Pittsburgh players from last season’s matchup, only John Hugley IV and Jamarius Burton played in the game in Chapel Hill.

–Field Level Media

Kobe Brown scored 30 points as Missouri upset No. 19 Kentucky 89-75 Wednesday night in Columbia, Mo., in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Brown, who earned SEC Player of the Week honors after scoring 31 points in a victory over then-No. 16 Illinois on Dec. 22, also had six rebounds against the Wildcats.

D’Moi Hodge scored 15 points and Sean East II and DeAndre Gholston added 12 each as the Tigers (12-1, 1-0 SEC) won for just the third time in 17 games against Kentucky.

Oscar Tshiebwe scored 23 points and grabbed 19 rebounds for the Wildcats (8-4, 0-1). Cason Wallace scored 19 points, and Sahvir Wheeler had 12 points and eight assists.

No. 2 UConn 74, Villanova 66

Jordan Hawkins had 22 points and seven rebounds, Alex Karaban added 15 points and the Huskies held off the visiting Wildcats in Hartford, Conn.

Andre Jackson Jr. also scored 10 for undefeated UConn (14-0, 3-0 Big East).

Caleb Daniels led Villanova with 23 points, while Eric Dixon contributed 18 points and eight rebounds. Brandon Slater chipped in 10 points for the Wildcats (7-6, 1-1), who committed 18 turnovers and had their five-game winning streak snapped.

No. 3 Houston 89, Tulsa 50

Tramon Mark scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half as the Cougars rolled over the host Golden Hurricane in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

Mark was one of four players to score in double figures for the Cougars (13-1, 1-0 AAC), who seized control with a 27-4 run that bridged the two halves. Houston’s J’Wan Roberts posted 15 points and nine rebounds.

Tulsa’s Bryant Selebangue paired 13 points with nine rebounds and shot 6 of 7 from the floor. However, he missed 5 of 6 free throws for the Golden Hurricane (4-8, 0-1).

No. 7 Tennessee 63, Ole Miss 59

Santiago Vescovi scored a game-high 22 points and the Volunteers overcame a slow start to beat the Rebels in the SEC opener for both teams in Oxford, Miss.

Zakai Zeigler added 13 points, and Jonas Aidoo had eight points and 13 rebounds for the Volunteers (11-2, 1-0 SEC).

Jaemyn Brakefield scored 18 points and Amaree Abram had 10 to lead the Rebels (8-5, 0-1), who lost for the fifth time in seven games.

No. 8 Alabama 78, No. 21 Mississippi State 67

Brandon Miller had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Crimson Tide to a victory over the Bulldogs in both teams’ SEC opener at Starkville, Miss.

Mark Sears added 20 points for Alabama (11-2, 1-0 SEC), which is off to its best 13-game start since going 12-1 to open the 2006-07 season.

Mississippi State (11-2, 0-1), which has dropped two straight games, was led by D.J. Jeffries’ 11 points and 15 rebounds. KeShawn Murphy scored nine of his 11 points in the first half.

LSU 60, No. 9 Arkansas 57

Trae Hannibal scored a season-best 19 points to lead the Tigers past the Razorbacks in the SEC opener for both teams at Baton Rouge, La.

Derek Fountain recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds for LSU (12-1, 1-0 SEC), which notched its seventh consecutive victory.

Davonte Davis scored 16 points for Arkansas (11-2, 0-1), which had a seven-game winning streak end. Jordan Walsh had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Ricky Council IV also scored 13 points with six rebounds.

No. 10 Gonzaga 120, Eastern Oregon 42

Drew Timme scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in just 17 minutes as the Bulldogs, in their final tune-up before West Coast Conference play begins, routed the Mountaineers in Spokane, Wash.

Timme moved into the top five on the school’s career scoring list with 1,826 points, and the Bulldogs (11-3) broke a school record for largest margin of victory. Their 70.8 percent shooting from the field tied for second best in program history.

Rasir Bolton scored 14 points, Nolan Hickman and Anton Watson had 13 apiece and Julian Strawther tallied 10 for Gonzaga. Malachi Afework led Eastern Oregon (7-5), an NAIA program from La Grande, Ore., with 11 points. The Mountaineers shot 29.6 percent for the game.

No. 12 Baylor 85, Nicholls 56

Keyonte George hit for 21 points and Adam Flagler had 20 as the Bears routed the visiting Colonels in Waco, Texas.

Baylor (10-2) played its final game before beginning the Big 12 Conference schedule. The Bears led by 14 points at halftime before Nicholls whittled the margin to six early in the second half. Baylor then pulled away.

Latrell Jones had 18 points to lead Nicholls (6-7), which has dropped two of its past three games, both to ranked opponents. Caleb Huffman added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

No. 13 Virginia 66, Albany 46

Armaan Franklin scored 20 points and the Cavaliers used an 18-0 run to pull away for a victory over the Great Danes in Charlottesville, Va.

Jayden Gardner added 16 points as Virginia (9-2) halted a two-game skid. Kihei Clark played in his school-record 139th game and contributed eight points and 10 assists.

Da’Kquan Davis led Albany (5-10) with 11 points. Jonathan Beagle had nine points and leading scorer Gerald Drumgoole Jr. finished with just seven points on 2-of-12 shooting.

No. 18 TCU 103, Central Arkansas 57

Mike Miles Jr. scored 21 points and Emanuel Miller added 20 as the Horned Frogs rode balanced scoring and a dominating first half to an easy win over the Bears in Fort Worth, Texas.

TCU has won nine straight games, with a one-point loss at home to Northwestern State on Nov. 14 the only hiccup on its resume. The Horned Frogs scored 100 points for the first time this season, shot 52.1 percent from the floor, had 40 fast-break points.

Eddy Kayouloud led Baylor (5-8) with 14 points, with Carl Daughtery Jr. adding 10. The Bears shot just 29 percent from the floor and had 18 turnovers.

No. 20 Auburn 61, Florida 58

Behind a double-double from Johni Broome and a big second half from Wendell Green Jr., the Tigers rallied for a dramatic home win over the Gators.

A Broome dunk gave Auburn a 56-54 lead with 3:23 remaining in the game. With 1:14 to play, his layup put the Tigers back up 59-58. Florida had a chance to win with less than 18 seconds to play, but a Chris Moore steal sealed the victory for Auburn, which extended its home winning streak to 26 games.

Broome led Auburn (11-2, 1-0 SEC) with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Jaylin Williams added 13 points. Green also had 14 points — 11 in the second half. Kowacie Reeves and Myreon Jones were terrific for Florida (7-6, 0-1 SEC) off the bench. Reeves had a team-high 15 points, and Jones added 10 points.

No. 22 Xavier 84, St. John’s 79

Jack Nunge totaled 23 points and 12 rebounds as the Musketeers built a big lead and held on to beat the host Red Storm in New York to extend their winning streak to seven games.

Xavier (11-3, 3-0 Big East) led for the final 35:20 thanks to an early 16-0 run before sweating out the final minutes. Souley Boum added 17 points and six assists, while Zach Freemantle contributed 14 and nine boards.

David Jones collected 19 points and 10 rebounds for St. John’s (11-3, 1-2). Joel Soriano and Montez Mathis added 14 apiece.

No. 22 New Mexico 88, Colorado State 69

Playing its first game as a ranked team since March 2014, the Lobos looked the part, getting five 3-pointers and a game-high 26 points from Jaelen House while whipping the Rams in Albuquerque, N.M.

Jamal Mashburn Jr. added 19 points for New Mexico (13-0, 1-0 Mountain West) and KJ Jenkins hit for 11 in the conference opener for both teams. Morris Udeze chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds.

John Tonje and Patrick Cartier each scored 16 points for Colorado State (8-6, 0-1), and Isaiah Rivera added 12. But leading scorer Isaiah Stevens made just 4 of 15 shots and finished with 10 points, eight under his average, while committing five of his team’s 14 turnovers.

–Field Level Media