ACC Basketball takeaways: North Carolina, Clemson revive NCAAT hopes
By Brian Emory
UNC and Clemson each get needed victories
In a Saturday slate that featured 130 games across the Division 1 college basketball landscape, you can’t pick out a more impressive performance than the one put on by Brad Brownell’s Clemson Tigers. Just one month ago the Tigers were pacing the ACC with a 10-1 record, and at a minimum looked like a safe bet to make the Field of 68.
The Tigers proceeded to lose four of their next five games, including inexplicable losses on the road to Boston College and Louisville. Due to recent form, Clemson entered the weekend as one of Lunardi’s “Next Four Out,” and was faced with a daunting matchup at the PNC Center against a red-hot NC State squad.
Personally, I was close to dubbing the Wolfpack as the conference’s best team after impressive recent showings against in-state rivals UNC and Wake Forest. The Wolfpack entered Saturday’s matchup as six-point favorites in a game that was never close. Clemson sprinted out to an early lead and held a staggering 54-29 lead at the break.
Senior guard Brevin Galloway led the Tigers with 28 points on just nine field goal attempts. PJ Hall added 20 points of his own, and as a team, the Tigers found the bottom of the net on 10 of 19 three-point attempts. It can’t be understated just how massive this win was for Brownell’s group, as a loss likely would have meant the team’s NCAA Tournament hopes would be reliant on winning the ACC Tournament.
The Tigers have another significant opportunity Tuesday night, going on the road to take on a faltering Virginia squad. Clemson concludes regular season play with a home matchup with Notre Dame. If the Tigers can grab both and then win a couple of games in Greensboro, they could conceivably find themselves in position to steal an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.
North Carolina’s unforeseen struggles have been well-documented all season. After losing to Miami and NC State last week, it’s become widely accepted that the squad will have to win out its regular season at a minimum for a chance at an at-large bid.
After squeaking past Notre Dame in South Bend on Wednesday, the Tar Heels are halfway to accomplishing this crucial step. The Tar Heels cruised past Virginia in the Dean Dome Saturday night, winning by a final score of 71-63. Hubert Davis’ group built an early lead and never let the Cavaliers back into the game. Pete Nance led the team in scoring with 22 points, while RJ Davis added 16 and 10 rebounds.
As a group, there is no more positive trend than the team’s 10-22 clip from three-point range. The Tar Heels have been woeful from deep all season, and if they want any chance of saving their campaign they’re going to have to hope Saturday’s success from deep becomes more of a trend than an anomaly.