MENS BASKETBALL

North Carolina 65, Clemson 55

BY PETE IACOBELLI
ASSOCIATED PRESS

CLEMSON, S.C. - RJ Davis had 14 points while Armando Bacot had 14 points and 16 rebounds to lead No. 8 North Carolina to a 65-55 victory over 16th-ranked Clemson.

Davis came in as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer at 21.2 points a game. And while he struggled to find his shot against the Tigers (11-3, 1-2), the senior stepped up in time for the Tar Heels (11-3, 3-0).

Davis hit a 3-pointer as North Carolina wiped out Clemson’s four-point lead to move in front 39-38. He added a second to push the margin to 45-41 with 10 minutes to go. The Tigers could get no closer than two points the rest of the way to drop their second straight after their 11-1 start.

Bacot posted his 54th career double-double and helped hold Tigers top scorer PJ Hall to 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

The first half was a defensive struggle between two teams that rank in the bottom half of the ACC in defense.

North Carolina held the Tigers to 0-of-8 shooting from behind the arc the first 20 minutes and Clemson’s biggest outside threat, Syracuse transfer Joe Girard III, to 1-of-7 overall in the period and 1-of-10 for the game.

Chase Hunter had 17 points to lead the Tigers. Ian Schieffelin added 16 points and 11 rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

North Carolina: The Tar Heels showed they could win a physical, back-and-forth game even when leaders like Davis and Bacot were not at their best. It’s a good sign for North Carolina going forward.

Clemson: The Tigers strong start to the season seems like a memory after consecutive ACC losses at Miami and to the Tar Heels. Clemson needs to rediscover the scoring punch that had them the highest ACC team in the NET rankings just a week ago.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

North Carolina athletics press release

January 6, 2024