Clemson basketball takes down North Carolina in 2026 ACC Tournament
· Yahoo Sports
Clemsonbasketball nearly watched a comfortable lead slip away Thursday night, but the Tigers held on long enough to secure an 80-79 win over North Carolina in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals at the Spectrum Center.
After building a lead that reached 18 points in the second half, Clemson suddenly found itself in a tight finish as the Tar Heels caught fire late. North Carolina knocked down five straight three-pointers down the stretch, turning what had been a double-digit margin into a one-point game with 2.7 seconds remaining. The Tar Heels got one last look, but a desperation heave at the buzzer came up well short, allowing the fifth-seeded Tigers to survive and move on.
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Nick Davidson played a key role in the win, finishing with a double-double. He recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 5-of-6 from the field. Davidson was also perfect from three-point range, knocking down all four of his attempts. Clemson finished the night shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc, with Jestin Porter and Butta Johnson also hitting multiple shots from deep.
RJ Godfrey added 13 points, while Ace Buckner finished with 12 in his start. Johnson and Porter each scored 10 points as Clemson placed five players in double figures.
The Tigers appeared firmly in control midway through the second half. A three-pointer from Johnson followed by an old-fashioned three-point play from Godfrey pushed the lead to 58-41 with under 13 minutes remaining. Davidson added another three shortly after, extending the advantage to 61-43.
North Carolina began to chip away, cutting the lead to 12 with seven minutes to play. Davidson answered with his fourth three-pointer of the game, stretching Clemson’s lead back to 15 at 69-54 with under five minutes left.
The closing minutes grew tense. Clemson held a 73-65 lead with under two minutes remaining and forced a stop that sent Davidson to the line for a one-and-one. He converted the first free throw, but North Carolina responded with a three-pointer on the other end to make it 74-68. Moments later, Davidson was fouled again going up for a dunk and knocked down both free throws to push the lead to 76-68.
The Tar Heels continued to fight back. Henri Veesaar drilled a three-pointer with just over a minute remaining, and North Carolina kept hitting shots late to make it a one-possession game.
Earlier in the game, Clemson built momentum late in the first half. A three-pointer from Blake Davidson and a driving layup from Jake Wahlin helped give the Tigers a 27-22 lead. A jumper from Johnson extended the margin before Dillon Hunter capped a 9-0 run with a jumper that pushed Clemson ahead 31-22.
North Carolina responded with a quick 7-0 run to cut the deficit to two late in the half. Clemson answered again, though, as Davidson and Porter each knocked down a three-pointer. Hunter added two free throws with 5.1 seconds left before halftime to give the Tigers a 39-31 lead at the break.
Clemson later confirmed that Carter Welling suffered a torn ACL in Wednesday’s win over Wake Forest and will miss the remainder of the season.
With Welling unavailable, head coach Brad Brownell adjusted the lineup. Jake Wahlin and Ace Buckner were inserted into the starting group after spending most of the season coming off the bench.
Clemson will face top-seeded Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Friday night. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson basketball survives North Carolina, getting hot at right time