3 Keys For UNC to Win at Clemson
By: Andrew Jones - TarheelIllustratedOne of the bigger road tests of the season awaits North Carolina on Saturday, as the eighth-ranked Tar Heels visit No. 16 Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The teams will meet again in Chapel Hill later in the season, and the outcomes of their battles could prove crucial in slotting the top three spots in the ACC.
Carolina has won three consecutive games and is coming off a 70-57 victory at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, while the Tigers fell at Miami, 95-82, on Wednesday night. Clemson’s other loss was by two points at Memphis, and among its wins are at Pittsburgh, at Alabama, on a neutral site versus TCU, and at home against South Carolina.
The top two ACC teams in the NET rankings – UNC is 12, Clemson is 16 – the game features several players that are serious contenders for first-team All-ACC, and given how the season has gone so far, two player of the year candidates in Carolina’s RJ Davis and Clemson’s P.J. Hall.
Here are some noteworthy stats about the Tigers:
-No. 46 in scoring offense (82.2)
-No. 28 at 49.2 FG%
-No. 13 in 3-pointers at 39.0%
-No. 28 averaging 9.7 threes per game
-No. 84 at 40.8 defensive FG%
-No. 168 in 3-point D at 32,5%
-No. 61 in rebound margin at plus-5.8
-No.17 in adjusted offensive efficiency
-No. 52 in adjusted defensive efficiency
-No. 176 in offensive rebound %
-No. 27 in defensive rebound %
Clemson's Leaders:
*P.J. Hall: 20.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 2.3 bpg, 1.1 spg, 56.3 FG%, 37.9 three-point % (22-for-58), 79.6 FT% (43-for-54).
*Joe Girard: 15.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.8 apg, 46.7 FG%. 45.2 three-point % (42-for-93), 92.1 FT% (35-for-38).
*Chase Hunter: 11.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 39.4 FG%, 32.1 three-point % (17-for-53), 87.1 FT% (27-for-31).
*Ian Schiefflin: 8.5ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 56.0 FG%, 57.1 three-point % (8-for-14), 731 FT% (19-for-26).
Challenge The Perimeter
Clemson has made 10 or more 3-pointers in eight of its 13 games so far, including the last three. And in games versus eight quality opponents (vs. Davidson, Boise State, at Alabama, at Pittsburgh, South Carolina, vs. TCU, at Memphis, and at Miami) the Tigers have shot 74-for-193, which is 38.3 percent. The Tigers shoot a lot of three and make a lot of threes.Carolina must get out on them and make good decisions on when to switch and when not to, and when they don’t, they need to get over screens, not go under, as that will allow for quick-trigger guys Chase Hunter and Joe Girard to release clean looks at the rim.
Limiting Clemson’s good looks from the perimeter might be the first thing Hubert Davis writes on the backboard, or at least it will be next to rebounding.
Of Course, Rebounding
The Tigers and Tar Heels are comparable on the glass so far, with Clemson coming in at plus-5.8 and UNC at plus-4.5 but strongly trending the right direction. The most interesting battle here will be Clemson’s defensive rebounding versus Carolina’s offensive rebounding.The Heels are just 102nd in grabbing their own misses at 31.8 percent, but are at 40.1 percent over the last two games, including snaring 16 of their 40 misses at Pittsburgh. UNC has also averaged around one point per offensive board, so it’s turning that into an offensive weapon again as well.
Transition Game
While the Tigers are an efficient offensive team that scores well, they aren’t much of an up-tempo team. They rank No. 210 in adjusted tempo and are No. 310 averaging only 6.8 fast-break points per game.The Tar Heels, on the other hand, are No. 39 in adjusted tempo and are No. 73 in fast-break points averaging 13.1 per contest. Add that the Tigers are minus-1.2 in turnover margin, as well them ranking No. 254 in offensive rebounding, there is a chance UNC can have a decided advantage getting transition points.
This could be a huge way to offset Clemson having an effective shooting performance from the perimeter, as it is prone to do.
