Tar Heels turn up defense in second half to beat Clemson
The North Carolina Tar Heels are in the middle of a three-game road trip in conference play, facing three tough tests. And so far, the Tar Heels have passed the first two tests.
One common theme in North Carolina’s two wins so far has been their toughness. Going up physical Pitt and Clemson teams, North Carolina didn’t allow themselves to get bullied and played a more physical game than they usually do, and Armando Bacot was at the center of that Saturday.
Bacot finished the game with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. He helped control the paint for the Tar Heels and limit PJ Hall who entered this game as one of the favorites for ACC Player of the Year.
After the game, his head coach Hubert Davis praised Bacot:
“Well, he was good today and you’re right. He’s working harder to get lower position down low, and the paint is just so big for us,” Davis said via Inside Carolina. “Not only can he score down there, you got PJ Hall fouled out. So he gets our team into the penalty. He opens up things from the outside and driving opportunities, and then when he’s defending and rebounding like he is and staying out of foul trouble, he’s a pretty impactful player.”
The Tar Heels as a team were pretty physical not only in the paint but on the perimeter as well. With the guards limiting what Clemson could do, it forced the Tigers into tough shots. They finished the game with just 55 points after entering the game scoring 82.2 per game, which was 32nd in the country.
It was an impressive defensive performance as UNC put the clamps down in the second half. And getting back-to-back wins on the road in the ACC is a huge confidence booster moving forward.
“That’s the thing. All I’ve known since being alive is the ACC, I just feel like it’s the best conference in college basketball and home on the road is just always a battle,” Davis said. “I think also, and I said this to you guys before, the level in the variety of teams we played in the non-conference, I think has helped us in situations like this on true road games to be in tight situations. From the standpoint of, in a non-conference, what we faced, there’s not much else we can’t see. We basically saw a lot, almost everything. And so that gives us confidence that we can make plays on both ends of the floor.”
North Carolina continues this road trip on Wednesday night in Raleigh as they face off against NC State.
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