Tar Heels Crush Clemson 74-50 To Win ACC Opener

The UNC men’s basketball team got back on track when it comes to winning ACC openers, crushing the Clemson Tigers 74-50 Saturday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The No. 19 Tar Heels, who dropped their last two such contests, bolstered that otherwise impressive mark to 51-11. More importantly, they won their fifth straight tilt of the season in improving to 11-3 overall, 1-0 ACC.

Both teams started slowly, with the Tar Heels leading just 7-5 five minutes in on the strength of baskets from three different players. J.P. Tokoto led the way with a jumper and free throw.

Roy Williams addresses his team (Todd Melet)

UNC led just 11-7 eight minutes in when Landry Nnoko drilled a pair of free throws for the Tigers (8-5, 0-1).

Brice Johnson’s dunk, off a terrific feed from Tokoto, put the Tar Heels up 13-7 at the 10:12 mark and seemed to spark UNC. The Heels enjoyed a 28-10 scoring run before intermission to essentially pull away for good.

Marcus Paige, who has struggled with his shot at times this season, found his rhythm in Clemson in draining three of his first four three pointers. Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson also excelled, while Justin Jackson scored nine straight points during one scintillating stretch.

Jackson led UNC with 13 points, while Meeks had 12 and Paige chipped in with 11. Meeks also dominated the boards with 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.

Clemson’s offense struggled mightily in the first half, due in part to a strong effort by hard-charging Tar Heel defenders. The Tigers connected on just 5 of 28 field goal attempts for a paltry 17.9 success rate.

Damarcus Harrison and Donte Grantham netted six points each in the opening 20 minutes, though the latter was 0 for 4 in three-point attempts. He wasn’t alone, as the Tigers launched 14 trey attempts with only Harrison hitting his pair.

Clemson’s bench provided little help, with Jordan Roper scoring the lone point on a free throw attempt.

Marcus Paige jumps over a Tiger defender (Todd Melet)

Jaron Blossomgame led Clemson with 13 points, while Harrison was the only other Tiger to reach double-figures with 11.

Roy Williams’ troops didn’t let up after the break, with a Jackson jumper and Johnson dunk coming in the opening 90 seconds for a 43-19 advantage.

Paige continued to glide on the court, hitting a three-pointer and a running jumper as the Heels extended their lead to 54-26 with a dozen minutes remaining.

Isaiah Hicks put an exclamation mark on the Tar Heels impressive win with an emphatic dunk with 10 minutes remaining.

With huge advantages in both rebounds (49-30) and assists (20-6) and just six turnovers committed, even the hard-driving Williams had to be satisfied with the Heels on this night.

The timing for a crisp performance was ideal, with the Tar Heels facing Notre Dame on Monday night and Louisville on Saturday afternoon. Both games are at the Smith Center.

FINAL BOX SCORE

‹

58-0: The Streak Continues as No. 7 UNC Beats Clemson in ACC Opener

For the 58th time in 58 tries, the No. 7 UNC men’s basketball team knocked off the Clemson Tigers in Chapel Hill—winning 80-69 on Wednesday night in a game that opened conference play for both teams. ”We didn’t talk about [the streak] much as a team,” UNC point guard Marcus Paige said after the game. […]

Scouting Report: A Chat with Clemson Coach Brad Brownell

WCHL's Matt Oakes had the chance to speak with the the head coach of the Clemson Tigers, Brad Brownell, as his men's basketball team prepares to host No. 19 North Carolina Saturday night at 8:15 p.m.

Tar Heels Hope To Tame Tigers In ACC Opener

The No. 19 North Carolina men’s basketball team sits at 10-3 on the season, but is still in search of consistent play heading into its ACC opener.

Sloppy Play Dooms UNC in Road Loss at Clemson

Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong for the UNC men’s basketball team on Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum, as the Tar Heels put together their lowest scoring total of the season in a 63-50 loss to the Clemson Tigers. UNC (11-6, 6-4 ACC) came into the night having won six of […]

Saturday's UNC Men's Basketball Game vs. Clemson Postponed

After preparing to play against the Clemson Tigers this weekend, the UNC men’s basketball program will instead not see any action. The ACC announced Friday that Clemson will have each of its next two men’s basketball games postponed due to COVID-19 testing and quarantining, beginning with Saturday’s scheduled game against UNC. Clemson was also slated […]

Game Time Set for UNC Men's Basketball Game vs. Clemson on Saturday

The ACC announced Monday that the men’s basketball game on Saturday between UNC and No. 19 Clemson at the Smith Center will tip off at 7 p.m. UNC will be seeking to start a new home winning streak over Clemson, which ended an incredible 59-game drought in Chapel Hill with a win over the Tar […]

No. 5 UNC Picks Up Hard-Fought Road Win at Clemson, Plays Second Half Without Roy Williams on Bench

After head coach Roy Williams left the game following a vertigo spell late in the first half on Saturday night, the fifth-ranked Tar Heels rallied to defeat the Clemson Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum by a score of 81-79. With assistant coach Steve Robinson taking over Williams’ duties for the second half, UNC (24-5, 14-2 ACC) […]

Roy Williams Collapses During First Half of UNC's Game at Clemson

UNC head coach Roy Williams had a scary moment late in the first half of the Tar Heels’ game at Clemson on Saturday night, appearing to collapse on the sidelines due to a spell of vertigo. Williams has a history of issues dealing with vertigo, and suffered a similar incident during UNC’s loss at home […]

Late Rally Falls Short as No. 20 Clemson Hands No. 19 UNC First Three-Game Losing Streak Since 2014

Cameron Johnson and Joel Berry did everything they could Tuesday night to help the 19th-ranked Tar Heels erase a 16-point halftime deficit, but it would not be enough to finish the job–as No. 20 Clemson held on for an 82-78 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers (18-4, 7-3 ACC) hit 10 of their 15 three-pointers […]

Tar Heels Stomp Out Second-Half Rally from No. 20 Clemson, Extend Home Winning Streak to 59 Games Over the Tigers

Make it 59 consecutive wins over Clemson in Chapel Hill for the 15th-ranked Tar Heels, who nearly let a 15-point halftime lead slip away before closing out the No. 20 Tigers by a score of 87-79. The entire UNC starting five scored in double figures as the Tar Heels were unconscious from three-point range for […]

›