UNC Basketball vs. Clemson: Game preview, info, prediction and more
Starting conference play with a victory is huge.
While it typically takes the whole season to determine a conference champion, that first win can go a long way in deciding the victory. “Undefeated” teams don’t have to play from behind and own that initial tiebreaker.
The UNC men’s basketball team struggled out of the gates on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at Pitt, but responded in dominating fashion to win by 13. Carolina is riding high, also sitting at 10-3 and eighth in the latest AP Poll, but has a tough road test at ranked Clemson next.
Head coach Brad Brownell has the Tigers playing some of their best basketball in recent memory, as they started 11-0 before losing at Memphis in December. Clemson has solid wins against Pitt, Alabama and TCU, plus another golden opportunity on Saturday, Jan. 6 against UNC.
Clemson is led by ACC Player of the Year candidate P.J. Hall, who stands at 6’10” and averages 20.2 points per game. The Tigers also have double-digit scorers in Chase Hunter and Syracuse transfer Joseph Girard III, who provide a triple-threat.
Carolina is equally hot with three consecutive wins, but something has to give on Saturday. Can UNC continue its balanced scoring attack from the Pitt win, or will the Tigers be too much?
Key to victory
Pitt is a solid team, but it’s not on Clemson’s level.
UNC was fortunate to win Tuesday’s game at Pitt, missing its first 11 shots before star guard R.J. Davis finally sank one. The Panthers were equally as cold to start, failing to pull away when it could’ve sank the Tar Heels in an early hole.
Plain and simple – Carolina has to shoot better in order to win in South Carolina on Saturday. Only three players shot 50 percent from the field on Tuesday, led by a 5-of-10 outing from Bacot.
Something to watch
For as explosive a team UNC is offensively, it struggles quite a bit on the defensive end.
Carolina has a lockdown defender at guard in Seth Trimble, who’s made massive strides in his sophomore season. Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram has proven to play well defensively, as has Bacot in the post.
With all this being said, the Tar Heels sport the ACC’s third-worst defense in opponents points per game. They’ve performed adequately when needed, but struggle to make stops – particularly in losses.
If P.J. Hall keeps playing like he has been for Clemson, UNC could be in for a long day.
Plain and simple – Carolina HAS to get stops.
What you need to know
WHAT? North Carolina (10-3, 2-0 ACC) @ Clemson (11-2, 1-1 ACC)
WHEN? Saturday, Jan. 6 at 12 p.m. ET
WHERE? Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C.
TV? ESPN2 (Watch and stream the game live on WatchESPN)
RADIO? Sirius XM (Channel 193 or 194)
LINE? N/A
LAST MEETING? UNC won 91-71 on 2/11/23 in Chapel Hill
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads, 123-22
PREDICTION? UNC 89, Clemson 85
