Staff Pix: UNC at Clemson
By: TarheelIllustratedNorth Carolina is back on the road Saturday for one of its toughest assignments of the season thus far, and certainly its most important, as the No. 8 Tar Heels take on No. 16 Clemson for a noon tip at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tar Heels have won three consecutive games, including notching Quad 1 victories over Oklahoma on a neutral floor and winning Tuesday night at Pittsburgh.
The Tigers lost their most recent outing, 95-82, at Miami. Clemson’s other loss was by two points at Memphis three weeks ago.
Clemson is No. 16 in the NET while UNC is No. 12. Clemson is No. 24 in KenPom while the Heels are No. 11.
UNC is 10-3 overall and 2-0 in the ACC. The Tigers are 11-2 and 1-1.
The game will air on ESPN2.
Here are our picks for UNC at Clemson:
Kevin Roy
Well, I originally felt confident the Tar Heels would pull out a win at Clemson, but after their ugly loss in Miami, I have gotten a little nervous. I always get nervous when a team loses the game prior to playing the Tar Heels...Always. However, this is a different Tar Heel team. They have had bad shooting games but played gritty hard-nosed basketball to pull out a victory and they have had games where they shot really well but were outrebounded and the defense was lacking. As of late the rebounding has improved along with the defense and I suspect that will continue this Saturday. Oh, and RJ will start a new 20-point streak. Prediction: UNC 82, Clemson 75.Chelsea Sipple
After their win against Pitt, the Tar Heels have continued to prove their strength in bench and spreading out scoring between players. Clemson is skilled and will be a test, but it will come down to who wants it more. Carolina put up a fight last game and will need that same mentality as the Tigers are coming off a tough loss to Miami and will put more pressure on defense. Prediction: UNC 79, Clemson 76.Bryant Baucom
Riding a three-game winning streak, North Carolina will travel to Clemson for a top-25 matchup with the Tigers. The contest will feature the top two scorers and top two rebounders in the ACC. Clemson’s 39% success rate from three ranks 13th in the country, and the Tigers lead the league with 17.38 assists per game. However, this North Carolina team has answered the call in recent weeks, and I think they do it again to hand Clemson their second consecutive loss. Prediction: UNC 83, Clemson 79.Jacob Turner
BIG game in Death Valley against a good, but not great (at least in my opinion), Clemson team. Still, Carolina will have to be at its best to beat the Tigers, and I have to say I'm pretty confident of a W on Saturday afternoon. Let's go with UNC by 5 in a tight game from start to finish. Prediction: UNC 89, Clemson 84Andrew Jones
This is easily the best offensive team Brad Brownell has had at Clemson, and it might be the most difficult challenge for the Tar Heels defensively this season to this point. P.J. Hall is outstanding, and UNC doesn’t really have anyone that can handle him all over the floor. Joe Girard and Chase Hunter are an experienced tandem in the back court capable of going off. Yet, the Tar Heels are better offensively, comparable on the glass, and recently have been better defensively. The raucous atmosphere won’t affect Carolina. As much as the temptation is to pick Clemson here, the lean is to an improving UNC team. Prediction: UNC 80, Clemson 76.Average THI prediction: UNC 82.6, Clemson 78.
