Carolina went into the Clemson cauldron with its collective eyes on first place in the ACC. And the Tar Heels pulled it off at a Littlejohn Coliseum that was teeming with memories, both painfully present and long ago nostalgic.
The Tigers’ basketball staff left a seat empty next to Jones Angell with flowers and a tribute note for Eric Montross, whose only loss to Clemson in his four UNC seasons was his last visit there in 1994, when he had a double-double for the eventual ACC champions.
Incredibly kind gesture from @ClemsonMBB to honor Eric at our broadcast location for today’s game. Thank you, @ClemsonTigers pic.twitter.com/adDsSnaNoM
— Jones Angell (@JonesAngell) January 6, 2024
The immediacy of the moment included Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney who attended the game (as he usually does when the Tar Heels come to town) sporting a serious shiner on his left eye that he reportedly got while playing pick-up basketball at 54 years old.
It was also the 45th anniversary of ESPN’s first college basketball telecast against visiting Carolina with “a fired coach” doing the color commentary. That former coach was Dick Vitale who went on to be a Hall of Fame broadcaster over the next five decades. Who knew?
Hubert Davis went 7-2 against Clemson in his college career as Dean Smith’s leading scorer with a 21.4 average as an All-ACC senior in 1992. Davis had 23 points in his last trip to Death Valley. Hubert, you’ve noticed, has gone to a golf shirt under sport coats that are like the Alex Julian threads Smith and Roy Williams liked to wear.
The Tar Heels showed more of their new-found toughness, which accompanied 42 percent shooting from the floor, 35 percent (8 of 23) on treys and played far more disciplined defense that pressured the three-point shooters without fouling them. The Tigers finished 1 for 18 from the arc and made 20 of 40 two-pointers for a season low of 55 points that was also Carolina’s fewest points allowed.
The first half was, in a word, weird.
The Heels were barely hanging in there, typified by bad 3-point attempts from foul-plagued freshmen Elliot Cadeau and Zayden High. Clemson went ahead by four after Cadeau fired a brick from the deep right wing and High let a clanger go from the right corner — not the shots you want them to take.
Davis took both out, and after that Carolina made four of its last five shots to go back on top before the half ended with Bacot’s layup getting blocked away and the score tied at 34.
The toughest nut on this day might have been 25-year-old Cormac Ryan, who came back from what looked like another serious ankle sprain, scored 10 points and dished off a season-high 4 assists in 29 minutes.
In his 31 minutes, gritty Harrison Ingram played both the “4” and “3” positions and contributed 9 points, two key 3-pointers, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. He also helped battle Clemson’s best players on this day, Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin, who combined for 33 points.
North Carolina forward Harrison Ingram (55) drives past Clemson forward Ian Schieffelin (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (Photo via AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Armando Bacot played like his old monster self of the last few years. His goal was to own the orange paint and shut down Clemson forward P.J. Hall, an early favorite with Bacot and R.J. Davis for ACC Player of the Year. AB had 14 points (tied for team high with Davis) and 16 rebounds (four offensive), plus 3 assists and 2 blocks. It was his seventh double-double this season, 75th of his career.
R.J. came to life in the second half with the first of five straight 3-pointers that included Ingram, Davis again, Paxson Wojcik and Seth Trimble that gave the Heels the lead for good and breathing room they expanded to the 65-55 final, notching their fourth Quad 1 win of the season.
Carolina ended up shooting 47 percent compared to 41 percent for Clemson, the ACC’s second-best 3-point shooting team that started 0-for-8 from the arc but compensated by making 12 of 14 free throws after reaching the bonus early. UNC went only 1-3 after coming in third in the nation for attempts from the foul line.
For the second straight game, Cadeau got into foul trouble early with two personals that kept him on the bench for 10 minutes in favor of Trimble (3 points, 4 rebounds in 21 minutes). High had a nice jump hook but also committed three fouls in his three minutes on the court.
Coach Davis played 10 men in the first half, and the Carolina bench outscored the Tigers subs 14-2. They were effective and saved the starters some gas for the second half. Jalen Washing played with and without Bacot, getting four points, 2 rebounds and a block in seven minutes. Jae’Lyn Withers pulled down 6 rebounds in his 11 minutes.
But the key was UNC’s best players, Bacot and Davis, outscoring their Clemson counterparts Hall and Joe Girard 28-15, which was basically the difference in the game. Girard, the Syracuse transfer, missed 9 of 10 shots; he and Hall whiffed on all nine 3-point attempts.
“We did two things,” Coach Davis said after UNC began 3-0 for the first time since 2016, when Hubert was still sitting next to Ol’ Roy. “One, we defended; I felt like every one of their shots, their cuts, their posts were met with physicality. And in the second half we played defense without fouling. And that put us in great position to rebound and run.”
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis watches play against Clemson during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Clemson, S.C. (Photo via AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
The Heels were ahead by three with five minutes to play and then outscored Clemson 7-0 over the last five minutes to win going away. Mirroring the win at Pitt, they again got on the boards and had a 44-33 advantage, 14-9 on the offensive glass. In something we may never see again, neither team had a fast break point in a game that was far more a slug fest than a track meet.
Carolina, 11-3, will move up in the various rankings after winning the first two of what was once a daunting road trifecta. The third will be at PNC Arena Wednesday night against the unranked but wily Wolfpack.
NC State moved to the same overall record with an impressive 16-point home win over Virginia, which appears weaker than recent Cavalier teams. Tony Bennett has not fully bought into the transfer portal and has some mid-major talent.
The Wolfpack split with UNC last season and — like many other teams — has a new cast of supporting actors playing with returning veterans D.J. Burns and Casey Morsell. State shot 49 percent from the floor and 36 percent from outside against what is a traditionally tough Virginia defense. The Pack is also 3-0 in the ACC, as is Wake Forest.
Carolina may have to take its toughness to yet another level to start 4-0 in the ACC and come home for games against Syracuse and Louisville, currently in the bottom half of the conference. The last time the Tar Heels opened their ACC season with four straight wins was in that Final Four 2016 season when they started 8-0 in the conference.
Featured photo via AP Photo/Mike Stewart.
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