The final week of ACC regular season opens with a heavyweight contest that has enormous postseason ramifications. The Clemson Tigers (21-8, 11-5 ACC) and the No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels (23-6, 11-5 ACC) are up tonight at the Dean E. Smith Center following a momentum-shifting upset of Louisville. While the all-time series has historically favored sky blue, recently it has shifted gears with Brad Brownell. Clemson comes in tonight looking for their third consecutive victory over the Tar Heels—a success few teams in the history of the program do.
Clemson arrives in Chapel Hill with their swagger restored. The Tigers bounced back from their four-game skid with an 80-75 win over Louisville on Saturday. The lights were on and players such as Jestin Porter contributed the moment, scoring 16 second-half points as he exploded in the second half for 16 points, and veteran RJ Godfrey (13 points), and Ace Buckner (11 pts) was the kind of steady scoring Brownell’s scheme requires.
They’ll need all of that efficiency in order to compete against a UNC side that has three consecutive wins to back their defense. Tar Heels 7-foot center Henri Veesaar leads the Tar Heels, led by one of basketball’s dominant stars, has a dominant 26-point record against Virginia Tech for an edge. The matchup between Veesaar and Clemson’s interior defense will probably dictate whether the Tigers can keep the "Dean Dome" winning streak to be in play.
Not just bragging rights here. Both teams go into the night tied for fourth spot in the ACC standings. Now that the conference tournament in Charlotte is about to start, tonight’s winner takes giant strides toward securing a double-bye — an important bonus for deep March runs.
For Clemson, a victory tonight would be their second Quadrant 1 victory in four days, likely pushing them back into the Top 25 and solidifying their protected status in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers aren’t just competing in Chapel Hill this past few games; they’re doing well. Tonight we hear if they can make it a habit.