Chapel Hill, NC: Famed rocker Meat Loaf reminded us through song, “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad.” For Clemson, one out of two isn’t bad, either, when that one victory comes at the historic Dean E. Smith Center. After dropping a last-second decision on a controversial call at Duke ten days ago, it looked as if Clemson’s chances for a splashy ACC victory were dashed. UNC had been dominant in conference play, winning ten of 11, and was fresh off a confidence-building win over the rival Blue Devils. But Clemson turned the tables on the third-ranked Tar Heels, leading wire-to-wire and outclassing North Carolina on its home floor, 80-76.
The Tigers fired right out of the chute, knocking down 5 of 7 from beyond the arc as they built a 32-18 lead. Clemson’s early success kept the blue-clad crowd seated and quiet. P.J. Hall made three of his first four from long range, forcing UNC’s post defenders to chase him to the perimeter. The shifting defenders created opportunities for Joseph Girard, III and Chase Hunter. Clemson’s veteran backcourt of Girard and Hunter outscored UNC’s three-guard lineup 19-8 in the first half.
Clemson’s lead ballooned to 16 before the Tar Heels could rally. Just before halftime, UNC star RJ Davis (22 points) came to life, igniting a scoring outburst that trimmed the lead to nine just before intermission. North Carolina carried the good vibes into the second half and crawled to within three at 56-53. Much of the damage was done with Hall sitting on the bench with three fouls.
Hall checked back in with 10:46 to play and made his presence felt immediately, drawing a foul on a putback and helping his team turn the tide. Moments later, Hall found a cutting Ian Schieffelin (14 points, 11 rebounds) for a layup. Chauncey Wiggins followed it up with a 3-pointer, extending the advantage back out to nine.
UNC refused to go away, however. The Heels scored 16 of the next 23 points to knot the game up at 70-70 and send the home crowd into a frenzy. Clemson head coach Brad Brownell called a timeout and helped his club regroup. They responded by closing strong and humbling UNC in the final minutes. The Tigers clamped down defensively, squeezing the passing lanes and forcing North Carolina into awkward shots. UNC missed eight of its last nine shots before hitting a harmless jumper at the buzzer.
The Tar Heels, regarded as one of the nation’s best offensive teams, hit just 37% of its shots from the field. Hall carried a heavy load with 25 points, but Girard’s pinpoint shooting was a critical factor, as well. Girard hit 5 of 10 from the 3-point line and finished with 21 points.
It was just Clemson’s second victory at Chapel Hill, NC, but Brownell downplayed the historical significance of the win in his postgame comments, choosing instead to focus on the performance of his team. “I think we’re playing better than our ACC record,” Brownell said. “Great start. Probably the best half we’ve played all season long, that first half. They came back at us but our guys finished, which was really nice to see …. Got some really great kids in there. Hopefully, if we keep working, good things will happen to good people.”
The Tigers last beat a top-three team on the road in 1976, an 82-77 victory at second-ranked Maryland.
Clemson (15-7, 5-6) will look to continue building its NCAA Tournament resume at Syracuse this weekend. Tipoff between the Tigers and the Orange is set for noon, Saturday.
Final Stats
