University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI
Lucas: Clemson Rapid Reactions
February 6, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the rematch with Clemson.
By Adam Lucas
1. Thorough win by Clemson, as Carolina never led in a game for the first time since February of 2022. Tigers win it, 80-76.
2. Clemson took control of the game immediately and that hole proved to be too big to climb out of. The Tar Heels tied it in the second half but could never nudge ahead.
3. Perhaps that first half was inevitable. But it was still not very good. Armando Bacot shot 4-for-7 in the first 20 minutes, but the rest of the team was 7-for-28. There really weren't many positive stats at all in that first half; the Heels shot 4-for-15 from three, had just five assists, and had a starter go 0-for-6 from the field. The opening six or eight minutes looked a little lethargic, and Hubert Davis even called a timeout 3:28 into the game when the Tigers started the contest on a 15-2 run.
4. At the same time the Heels were struggling to score, Clemson was breaking out of some recent shooting struggles. That was led by PJ Hall, who entered the game seven for his last 38 from three-point range. All he did was make three of five in that category in the first half on his way to 14 points. Hall finished with a game-high 25 points.
5. Still, the Heels did manage to claw back to within nine at the break. That almost felt like a victory after a first half that at some points looked like it could be headed for a big deficit at the break. That put them in position to make the second half interesting, but in the end, they just couldn't make enough shots. The Heels shot 36.9 percent from the floor against a Clemson defense that entered the game 13th in the league (out of 15) in defensive efficiency in ACC games.
6. Clemson's zone was a problem. The Tigers played a version that was more aggressive around the free throw line, largely preventing Harrison Ingram from getting to that spot where he was so effective against a Syracuse zone a few weeks ago. Carolina could never shoot them out of it, as RJ Davis went 5-for-12 from three, but everyone else combined was just four-for-15 from that distance.
7. Playing with some limited depth because of the absence of Seth Trimble (upper body injury), the Tar Heels got an early boost from Paxson Wojcik during a stretch when not much else was going right. He had five rebounds and four points in 12 minutes of first half action. Wojcik contributed seven points and six rebounds (tied for the second highest total on the team, behind only Armando Bacot with 13).
8. Bacot was one of the few offensive bright spots. He finished 7-for-13 from the field on his way to 24 points and those 13 boards.
9. An underrated part of Carolina's offensive struggles was the way Clemson held on to the ball. The Tigers had just five turnovers, which meant the Tar Heels played most of the game in the half court rather than getting out and running. They weren't very efficient against that set Clemson defense. The Heels got 19 points off turnovers against Duke and couldn't replicate that same success tonight.
10. Scary moment when Harrison Ingram went down with an injury with 8:55 to go. Ingram did come back, however, and hit the game-tying three-pointer almost as soon as he entered the game.
11. RJ Davis continues to be great in virtually every way possible. He has cooled off a little from the free throw line, however. Davis missed the front end of a one-and-one in the first half after entering the game having missed a free throw in five straight games. He ended the game three for five from the line. That's far, far away from Carolina's biggest concern, and really is only notable because of the incredibly high standard he set early in the year.
12. The absence of Trimble hurt in the way Carolina defended Joe Girard. The Tiger sharpshooter finished with 21. It would have been nice to rotate Trimble onto him, but that wasn't an option on Tuesday. The Carolina guards who played other than Davis simply weren't very effective, as Elliot Cadeau went 2-for-6 with just one assist against two turnovers, and Cormac Ryan struggled through a 1-for-10 evening.
1. Thorough win by Clemson, as Carolina never led in a game for the first time since February of 2022. Tigers win it, 80-76.
2. Clemson took control of the game immediately and that hole proved to be too big to climb out of. The Tar Heels tied it in the second half but could never nudge ahead.
3. Perhaps that first half was inevitable. But it was still not very good. Armando Bacot shot 4-for-7 in the first 20 minutes, but the rest of the team was 7-for-28. There really weren't many positive stats at all in that first half; the Heels shot 4-for-15 from three, had just five assists, and had a starter go 0-for-6 from the field. The opening six or eight minutes looked a little lethargic, and Hubert Davis even called a timeout 3:28 into the game when the Tigers started the contest on a 15-2 run.
4. At the same time the Heels were struggling to score, Clemson was breaking out of some recent shooting struggles. That was led by PJ Hall, who entered the game seven for his last 38 from three-point range. All he did was make three of five in that category in the first half on his way to 14 points. Hall finished with a game-high 25 points.
5. Still, the Heels did manage to claw back to within nine at the break. That almost felt like a victory after a first half that at some points looked like it could be headed for a big deficit at the break. That put them in position to make the second half interesting, but in the end, they just couldn't make enough shots. The Heels shot 36.9 percent from the floor against a Clemson defense that entered the game 13th in the league (out of 15) in defensive efficiency in ACC games.
6. Clemson's zone was a problem. The Tigers played a version that was more aggressive around the free throw line, largely preventing Harrison Ingram from getting to that spot where he was so effective against a Syracuse zone a few weeks ago. Carolina could never shoot them out of it, as RJ Davis went 5-for-12 from three, but everyone else combined was just four-for-15 from that distance.
7. Playing with some limited depth because of the absence of Seth Trimble (upper body injury), the Tar Heels got an early boost from Paxson Wojcik during a stretch when not much else was going right. He had five rebounds and four points in 12 minutes of first half action. Wojcik contributed seven points and six rebounds (tied for the second highest total on the team, behind only Armando Bacot with 13).
8. Bacot was one of the few offensive bright spots. He finished 7-for-13 from the field on his way to 24 points and those 13 boards.
9. An underrated part of Carolina's offensive struggles was the way Clemson held on to the ball. The Tigers had just five turnovers, which meant the Tar Heels played most of the game in the half court rather than getting out and running. They weren't very efficient against that set Clemson defense. The Heels got 19 points off turnovers against Duke and couldn't replicate that same success tonight.
10. Scary moment when Harrison Ingram went down with an injury with 8:55 to go. Ingram did come back, however, and hit the game-tying three-pointer almost as soon as he entered the game.
11. RJ Davis continues to be great in virtually every way possible. He has cooled off a little from the free throw line, however. Davis missed the front end of a one-and-one in the first half after entering the game having missed a free throw in five straight games. He ended the game three for five from the line. That's far, far away from Carolina's biggest concern, and really is only notable because of the incredibly high standard he set early in the year.
12. The absence of Trimble hurt in the way Carolina defended Joe Girard. The Tiger sharpshooter finished with 21. It would have been nice to rotate Trimble onto him, but that wasn't an option on Tuesday. The Carolina guards who played other than Davis simply weren't very effective, as Elliot Cadeau went 2-for-6 with just one assist against two turnovers, and Cormac Ryan struggled through a 1-for-10 evening.
Players Mentioned
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballCarolina Women's Basketball 2025-26 | In Pursuit: Episode 3 - "Joy and Fire"
Wednesday, December 24
UNC Men's Basketball: Tar Heels Breeze Past ECU, 99-51
Tuesday, December 23
Carolina Insider: Rapid Reactions pres. by Modelo – Men’s Basketball vs. ECU – December 22, 2025
Monday, December 22
MBB: Tar Heels Breeze Past ECU, 99-51
Monday, December 22