If there were any remaining concerns about UNC not being an ACC basketball contender this year, those completely diminished on Saturday afternoon.
The Tar Heels weren’t able to unleash their high-octane offense on the Clemson Tigers, but instead lock them down defensively in a 65-55 UNC victory.
This game featured two of the ACC’s best big – UNC’s Armando Bacot and a 20-point scorer in Clemson’s P.J. Hall. It was a battle in the paint throughout the crucial conference clash, but one Bacot ultimately won. Bacot recorded yet another double-double, this time with 14 points and 16 rebounds, while Hall only scored 10 points and fouled out late.
Neither team led by more than four points in the first half and played a close game for most of the second, but that changed with Carolina’s late spurt. With 5:18 remaining in the game, UNC took a 5-point lead on Bacot’s first made free throw. Then, with 2:23 remaining, Harrison Ingram pushed the Tar Heels’ advantage to seven with a contested latup.
Carolina isn’t known to be a great 3-point shooting team, but the perimeter shooting proved a major advantage against Clemson. UNC made 8/23 downtown attempts, while limiting the Tigers to a horrid 1-of-18 mark.
Let’s see what Tar Heel Nation thinks of the timely victory: