Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels’ toughest moments of the past 20 years

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 01: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during the second half of their game against the Boston College Eagles at the Dean Smith Center on February 01, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Boston College won 71-70. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 01: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during the second half of their game against the Boston College Eagles at the Dean Smith Center on February 01, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Boston College won 71-70. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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CHAPEL HILL, NC – JANUARY 11: Curran Scott #10 of the Clemson Tigers celebrates during a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels on January 11, 2020 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Clemson won 76-79 in overtime. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /

Clemson snaps 0-for-59 streak in Chapel Hill

Amid one of the worst seasons in program history in 2020, the Tar Heels did something that they had never done before: lost to the Clemson Tigers in Chapel Hill.

Prior to their January 11 meeting with Clemson, the Tar Heels were 59-0 at home against the Tigers. But with an 8-7 record and in the absence of injured starting point guard Cole Anthony, the Tigers got the best of the Tar Heels in a 79-76 victory.

"“We’ve had some great moments as a coach, and right now I’d say this is my lowest one because losing this game was my fault,” Williams said in his postgame press conference. “Told them if I die tomorrow or 20 years from now, that’ll be the biggest regret I had in 32 years as a coach. Cause these kids really need a win. And their coach let them down today.”"

Williams didn’t stop there, either, as the three-time national title-winning coach and 2006 College Basketball Hall-of-Fame inductee seemed to take the loss as hard as anyone, including the players and the typically exuberant but suddenly morose fan base.

"“Gotta tell Bubba he should probably fire me, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Williams said after his team lost a game that they had multiple opportunities to win, “The coach is supposed to help his kids. I didn’t help them very much.”"

North Carolina didn’t play Clemson again that season, nor did they get a home game against the Tigers in 2021 — it was indefinitely postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They did, however, manage to lose another winnable game against the Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum in the teams’ only meeting of the season this year.

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