Lucas: Clemson Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. Tough win on the road against a good Clemson team, as Carolina emerges from Littlejohn Coliseum with a 65-55 win. By the time 90 seconds remained, a "Tar-Heels!" chant was echoing across the road venue.

2. On a day that required a hard hat, what a luxury to have Armando Bacot in the middle. The Tar Heel veteran had another double-double, scoring 14 points to go with his 16 rebounds. Those points and boards were well-earned in a physical game.

3. On a day that wasn't one for star power (Joe Girard and PJ Hall struggled for Clemson), the Carolina bench made a big difference. The Tar Heels got big second half three-pointers from Paxson Wojcik and Seth Trimble, and the bench overall outscored the Tigers 14-2. The Tar Heel flexibility was an important part of the victory.

4. Those trifectas were a big part of a second half offense that was aided by 5-for-12 three-point shooting. The Tar Heels made as many three-point shots as they did two-point shots in the final 20 minutes.

4. Ian Schiefflin was a problem in the paint. The Clemson big man had 16 points and 11 rebounds--but Carolina did do a better job keeping him off the glass in the second half of the second half.

5. Bacot moved into fifth all-time on the Carolina scoring list, passing Charlie Scott and Al Wood.

6. Clemson just seemed more engaged in the first 20 minutes. Coming off a loss at Miami on Wednesday night, Brad Brownell had emphasized physicality and his team delivered. They played to a 34-34 tie at the break largely with success at the free throw line, hitting 12 of 14 attempts. Carolina, meanwhile, went 1-for-3 at the charity stripe. That was more than enough to offset the Tigers shooting just 11-for-27 and missing all eight of their first half three-point shots.

7. Clemson did as good a defensive job on RJ Davis as anyone has done recently. He was limited to 5-for-13 from the field, but just as importantly, he didn't make a trip to the free throw line until 1:38 remained. And even with that said, Davis still tied for the Tar Heel lead with 14 points.

8. But Carolina was also very good defensively on Clemson's high scoring guard, as Syracuse transfer Joe Girard was just 1-for-10 from the field. Girard didn't make a three-point shot on a day that Clemson struggled mightily from the arc, going 1-for-18.

9. Another example of why it gets tougher to score in conference play: Carolina had a sideline in-bounds play in the first half and lined up in a set they used for a lob dunk for Seth Trimble at Pitt on Tuesday night. Tiger coaches and players, who had a quality scouting report, immediately started yelling, "Lob!" With Harrison Ingram throwing the ball in, the Tigers quickly cut off the primary option.

10. Incredibly nice gesture spearheaded by Clemson associate director of communications Ben Winterrowd:

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

11. Carolina is now 17-3 against Clemson when both teams are ranked. The book is going to have to be different on the Tar Heels this year, because they've now gone to two of the most physical places in the league and emerged with a pair of wins.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

RJ Davis

Harrison Ingram

Seth Trimble

Paxson Wojcik

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