Coming off a tough couple of losses with a closer-than-expected win between, there's no rest for Brad Brownell and Clemson Men's Basketball as they must travel to Chapel Hill for a matchup with top 3 North Carolina Tuesday evening.
The Tigers dropped a 66-65 contest to Virginia on Saturday, which was within their grasp, to fall to 14-7 on the season and 4-6 in the ACC.
Clemson had the ball on the game's final possession, only to see a Jack Clark three-pointer go awry and allow the Cavs a win in Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tar Heels sit atop the ACC with a 10-1 conference record and have won 11 of their last 12, with the only setback coming against a Georgia Tech team that Clemson is all too familiar with.
Hubert Davis' team faces a quick turnaround and perhaps a letdown spot, after defeating Duke at home by a score of 93-84 Saturday.
Senior guard R.J. Davis leads four North Carolina players in double figures at 21.3 points per game, with forwards Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram at 13.9 points and 12.5 points respectively and Cormac Ryan scoring 10.8 per contest.
Bacot (9.9) and Ingram (9.0) lead the Tar Heels on the boards.
Clemson is led by P.J. Hall, who averages 19.9 points and 7 rebounds per contest, with Joe Girard (14.7) and Chase Hunter (12.0) also averaging in double figures.
Ian Schieffelin leads the Tigers on the boards with 9.6 rebounds per game, while chipping in 9.5 points.
The Tigers shot poorly at home against Virginia and Hall in particular struggled with a 4 of 16 day from the field, as the Tigers came up short at home.
Stretch could determine Clemson Men's Basketball post-season fate
After an 11-1 start and wins over UAB, Boise State, Alabama, Pittsburgh, South Carolina and TCU, Clemson seemed destined for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament, but nine games and six losses later the Tigers post-season resume seems much murkier.
Clemson has dropped to No. 37 in the NET Rankings, with a 3-4 Quad 1 record. The Tigers do not have the ugly losses of last season on their resume, but a loss to No. 125 Georgia Tech at home is currently counted as a Quad 3 loss.
The latest edition of ESPN's Bracketology lists Clemson as a 7th seed, playing in Pittsburgh against Nebraska, as the Tigers margin of error continues to shrink.
This makes the upcoming five-game stretch, starting Tuesday in Chapel Hill, a critical juncture for Clemson and Brownell.
After the Tar Heels, Clemson travels to Syracuse, then hosts Miami and North Carolina State before getting a rematch with Georgia Tech.
Tuesday's game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.