Saturday afternoon’s UNC-Clemson basketball game was about as evenly-matched a game the Tar Heels have played this year.
Both teams were physical, featured two of the ACC’s best big men in Armando Bacot and PJ Hall and eager to prove themselves as the ACC’s unofficial top team.
It was the visiting Tar Heels, thanks to a season-best defensive performance and hot shooting streak late, who escaped from Clemson with a 65-55 victory.
Just like in wins over Tennessee and Oklahoma, Carolina showcased it can compete with some of the country’s top teams. When UNC was faced with adversity on Saturday – unable to drive against Clemson’s tough defense, down four points early in the first half, Bacot foul trouble in second half – it rose to the challenge.
This was the type of victory that not only caught college basketball’s attention, but left Carolina head coach Hubert Davis extremely happy. He praised UNC on both ends of the floor, highlighted Bacot’s big day in recording a double-double and shutting down PJ Hall, plus how Cormac Ryan stepped up early when R.J. Davis started slow.
Want to hear what Hubert had to say? Check out some of his quotes below from the postgame press conference.
“I like what we did defensively as a team,” Davis told InsideCarolina. “In the first half we defended and then we kept fouling. Put them on the free throw line 15 times. I felt like in the first half, that was Clemson’s number one most efficient way to score. Second half we did a bunch of the same things but we defended without fouling. With the exception of the first two possessions, that put us in a position to box out and rebound. his is the third straight game we’ve played really good defense and out-rebounded our opponent.”
“One of the things we talk about, in order for us to be successful, you have to win the battle of the trenches – loose balls, rebounds, setting screens, making free throws,” Davis told InsideCarolina. “Especially down the stretch, the discipline and the details have to be tight. That’s something that we practice, something that we talk about, something that we watch on film and hold ourselves accountable for.”
“All I’ve known since being alive is the ACC and I feel like it’s the best conference in college basketball,” Davis told InsideCarolina. “Home or on the road, it’s always just a battle. I think also, the level and the…
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