Happy New Year to all my Clary's Carolina Corner readers and their loved ones!! I hope 2015 brings joy and cheer to each and every one of you. Sorry there was no posting for pre- and post-game analysis of UNC's 86-64 win over William & Mary on Tuesday evening. I had a family emergency occur during the game that sent the next few days into a whirlwind, but things have calmed down somewhat and I'm ready to use my writing as an outlet. God is Good...All the Time!! So, Cheers to a wonderful 2015 and, as always, GO HEELS!!!
Matchup: #19 North Carolina (10-3, 0-0 ACC)
vs
Clemson Tigers (8-4, 0-0 ACC)
Date/Time: Saturday, January 3, 2015 @ 8:15pm EST
Location: Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, SC
TV/Radio: ESPN/ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network
Carolina rings in the new year Saturday night, on the road, with its first ACC game of the season against the Clemson Tigers. The 19th-ranked Tar Heels bring a four-game winning streak, and five of the last six, into conference play and will be searching for its seventh straight victory over the Tigers. UNC (10-3, 0-0 ACC) has been playing well as of late behind splendid performances from a cast of players. Over the last four games, Carolina has been led in scoring by four different Tar Heels, which is a testament to the scoring balance and all-around talent exemplified by UNC. The Tigers (8-4, 0-0 ACC) have had an up-and-down start to the 2014-15 campaign during non-conference action. Clemson has decent victories over LSU, Arkansas, and Auburn but suffered mind-boggling defeats to Winthrop, Gardner-Webb, and Rutgers. The bumpy ride doesn't get any easier in the month of January, so the Tigers are hoping for a statement win on Saturday evening in front of the home crowd in Littlejohn Coliseum.
Last game out, Carolina stamped an exclamation point on 2014 by dominating William & Mary behind the outstanding play of J.P. Tokoto who tallied a double-double by pouring in 19 points and ripping down 10 rebounds. The Heels shot over 50% in that game and are shooting a blistering 46.0% field goal percentage on the season. It may not come as easy against the Tigers on Saturday. Clemson has been known over the years to carry a very stingy defense and this year is no different. Tigers opponents are shooting just 39.2% from the field and its 3-point defense is even better, limiting opponents to just 30.8% from behind the arc. Carolina will look to speed up the tempo and play the game at a pace where Clemson is not comfortable. Even though Clemson Head Coach Brad Brownell has implemented a quicker style of play this year, the Tigers have not shown the speed the Heels possess at any point so far this year.
I mentioned that Clemson has defended the perimeter extremely well this season, so it will be imperative for the Heels to use screens to open up looks for Marcus Paige, J.P. Tokoto, and Nate Britt. Carolina's perimeter players have been making more shots from outside lately and the team average from 3-pt range has creeped back over into the 30% range. Still room for improvement, but seeing the shots fall during this recent winning streak has been great for our team confidence. On the other hand, Clemson does not shoot the three point shot well at all, only averaging a 28.6% mark from long-range. Carolina's stifling defense has not been too shabby this year, possibly the most improved defense in the ACC. With Carolina holding opponents to 25.1% from deep, there is a great chance that Clemson continues to have zero luck from downtown Saturday evening
The Tar Heels have dominated on the boards this season, outrebounding their foes by almost 10 rebounds a game (44.9 to 35.2 per game). Look for UNC's post players Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson to once again crash the glass in an attempt to over-power the Tigers and pummel any Clemson hopes of pulling the upset. Clemson averages 37.6 rebs/game, but will need a gargantuan effort from their formidable frontline. The Tigers come equipped with 6-10 junior Landry Nnoko and 6-8 freshman Dante Grantham that have played quite effectively downlow this season. Combining for 44 blocks, this tandem can cause havoc inside. Meeks and Johnson will need to combat the Tigers frontline with athleticism and fundamentals, which could expose Clemson, as the Carolina big men have done to multiple opponents this year.
Losing star K.J. McDaniels early to the NBA has left the Tigers with a huge void this year and Clemson just has not shown an ability to fill that blank space consistently. Sophomore forward Jaron Blossomgame leads the Tigers in points and rebounds with 13.7 pts/gm and 8.6 reb/gm while the Tigers get senior leadership from its backcourt, which includes Rod Hall (3.5 ast/gm) and Demarcus Harrison. Blossomgame has been tremendously efficient from the field this year, making 46.7% of his shots, so, I will go out on a limb and guess that Tokoto will be called upon to defend Clemson's leading scorer on most of the Tigers' offensive possessions. Tokoto leads the Heels with 18 steals on the season and he could make a big statement defensively tonight against the boys in Orange and Blue. Speaking of steals, Carolina has a 40 steal advantage over Clemson coming into this game. Carolina has racked up 101 steals in comparison to Clemson's 61 steals, but based on the two teams' style of play, this may not be too shocking. Clemson will not gamble as much on defense, but clamps down and plays solid half-court defense for the full-shot clock. By doing this and avoiding the ticky-tack foul calls, the Tigers limit opponents free throw attempts, which in turn has limited opponents scoring. The next statistic may blow you away. Clemson has only allowed opponents to shoot a total of 191 free throws. In contrast, UNC has allowed its opponents to shoot a combined 307 free throws. That's a 116 shot difference. Carolina fouls much more often (271 fouls to Clemson's 190 fouls). If Carolina can force Clemson into some out of character fouls and get to the free throw line more often than usual Clemson opponents, that would be a telling stat and evidence of Carolina's strength and aggressive play on the offensive end.
Carolina has won 16 of its last 17 games over Clemson and 40 of its last 47 (dating back to the 1990-91 season). Carolina won last season's sole matchup in Chapel Hill, 80-61, behind James Michael McAdoo's 22-point effort. Brad Brownell is searching for his first victory over the Tar Heels and, if he gets it on Saturday night, it will be the 250th win in his coaching career. Roy Williams is 16-2 versus Clemson as the Head Coach of North Carolina (with the two losses coming on the road in Littlejohn). Carolina is 50-11 in ACC season openers but has lost its last two conference openers (one to Virginia two years ago and last year to Wake Forest, both games on the road).
Carolina is poised to open the ACC slate on the road for the third straight year and ring in the New Year with a commanding victory over a hungry Clemson Tigers team. Catch all the action tonight @ 8:15pm EST on ESPN or on your Tar Heel Sports Radio Network affiliate. ACC Basketball is BACK!!!
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