UNC Basketball vs Clemson: Game info, preview and prediction

UNC Basketball looks to continue its fight for the ACC regular season title with a Saturday matchup with Clemson.

After holding on at home against a surprisingly-feisty Syracuse squad earlier this week, UNC travels down to Clemson in search of another valuable road win as the end of the regular season inches closer.

With only three games left and a double-bye already secured, the Heels are now fighting for both seeding in the ACC Tournament as well as a share (if not sole possession) of the regular season title. In a dead heat with Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers, both No. 5 North Carolina (23-5, 13-2 ACC) and No. 2 Virginia (25-2, 13-2 ACC) are tied atop the conference standings heading into Saturday’s slate of games.

Realistically, the Heels need to win out — at Clemson, at Boston College, vs Duke — if they are to secure at least a share of the title, especially considering how (relatively) light Virginia’s remaining schedule is (vs Pitt, at Syracuse, vs Louisville).

That brings us to Saturday’s matchup with Brad Brownell’s Clemson (17-11, 8-9 ACC) squad. A win would obviously help Roy Williams in the pursuit of his ninth regular-season title since becoming coach at North Carolina.

One of the hottest teams in the nation, the Heels shouldn’t look to let off the gas in this battle of the Carolinas.

Keys for UNC

Prior to Tuesday’s 34-point (9-14 FG, 6-11 3PT, 10-10 FT) outburst from Coby White, the freshman had been posting subpar shooting splits of 36.3 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three, while also struggling to get to the line in a seven-game stretch. Tuesday, of course, changed that. For both White and UNC, sustained momentum and hot shooting would be beneficial — and considering Clemson’s subpar three-point defense, the freshman should have an opportunity to put up another strong showing on Saturday.

Additionally, Cameron Johnson should look to put up another gaudy shooting night as well. In two games against Clemson last season, the graduate transfer posted point totals of 21 and 32, hitting six three-pointers in each game.

On the defensive end, UNC should focus on corralling Marcquise Reed, who leads the Tigers in scoring (19.0 points per game) by a hefty margin. If the Heels manage to limit his scoring and continue to crash the glass and keep up the recent stretch of strong defense (excluding the Syracuse game), then an already-scoring-needy Clemson squad could be in store for a rough afternoon.

Keys for Clemson

To put it in the simplest of terms: Make UNC uncomfortable. While the Heels play at a blistering pace, the Tigers are among the slowest teams in the nation, 259th in adjusted tempo and 210th in average length of possession per KenPom. If Brownell wants his team to survive such a daunting matchup, he’ll need his team to slow things down and pressure the Heels all game long.

Additionally, it could prove fruitful for the Clemson defense to focus on funneling shots within the arc — they rate as one of the best two-point defenses in the league (13th in FG% per KenPom), while they rate as one of the poorer three-point defenses (allowing 35.2 percent, 218th in the league). UNC can find points anywhere, so even with this in mind, slowing down this Tar Heel squad is quite the task for Clemson.

Last meeting

The Tar Heels and Tigers split their season series last year (1-1), both teams winning their respective games at home by relatively close margins (87-79 at UNC, 82-78 at Clemson).

The latter matchup saw the Heels trail by 16 points at the half, with a spirited comeback led by Joel Berry II (27 points) and Cameron Johnson (32 points) fall short.

The biggest takeaway from that game? 15-of-30. That’s how well the Tigers shot from beyond the arc. Thankfully, last season’s Clemson squad was one of the better shooting teams in the nation, while this year’s iteration is one of the worst.

Clemson is capable of playing up to its competition, specifically UNC, for whatever reason. For the Heels to walk away victorious on Saturday, they can’t afford to sleepwalk through this one. Each game counts in March — don’t take a single game for granted.

What you need to know

What? UNC 23-5 (13-2) at Clemson 17-11 (7-8)

When? Saturday, March 2, at 6:00 p.m. EST

Where? Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina

TV? ESPN

Radio? Tar Heel Sports Network

All-Time Series? UNC leads series 120-20

Prediction? UNC 81, Clemson 72