Carolina (11-3, 1-0 ACC) opened the 18-game ACC slate with an emphatic defensive performance; an effort that quite possibly was the best defensive effort of the season for the Heels. The first half was dynamite for the Heels. After the game opened in somewhat of a grind with UNC holding the lead at 11-7, Carolina got its footing offensively with J.P. Tokoto delivering a few unbelievable passes, including serving up alley-oop jam-burgers to Brice Johnson.
This offensive flurry cut the tension and the Heels never looked back. Clemson (8-5, 0-1 ACC) would encounter two severe droughts from the floor, going 7-plus minutes without a score and another 5-plus minutes without a basket towards the end of the first half. By the 4 minute mark of the half, UNC had pushed its lead to 29-12 behind a Jackson nine-point scoring burst and unrelenting defensive pressure that completely overwhelmed the Tigers.
"We played perhaps the best basketball we've played all season (in the first half)," UNC Coach Roy Williams remarked in his post-game news conference.
Clemson came into the contest struggling for traction on offense, but Carolina never allowed the Tigers to find the grip they were looking for. Carolina led the Tigers 39-17 at halftime holding Clemson to 17.9 percent shooting (5 of 28), the lowest point total and shooting percentage in a half by a UNC opponent. What was even more surprising was that even though Clemson came into the game shooting a very low percentage from three-point range, the Tigers decided to heave up these long-distance shots anyway. Out of the 53 total shots Clemson attempted, almost half (26) of the shots were from beyond the arc. That is a tremendous example of how well the Carolina defense forced Clemson away from the basket and, in turn, forced the Tigers into a game to forget.
"We were able to push them out of the scoring area," said UNC freshman Jackson after the game. "When we make them catch the ball that far from the basket, it keeps them from doing what they want to do to score. And with any team, if you can't get into what you know works, you get really frustrated. And that happened tonight, you could sense a breakdown in them."
A breakdown indeed. Clemson was shell-shocked from almost the beginning. Tigers leading scorer, Jaron Blossomgame, produced a goose-egg in the first half and ended up with 13 points due to some late baskets in the garbage time of the game. Senior guard Demarcus Harrison was the only other Tiger to score in double figures, as he finished with 11 points. Halfway through the first half, Clemson had no clue what hit them and Carolina's size was a big part of that. As it has done all season long, Carolina completely ruled the paint by outrebounding Clemson 49-30 and commanded the points in the paint category. In the Heels' dominant first half, UNC outscored the Tigers 14-2 in the paint. Meeks, Johnson, Joel James, and Isaiah Hicks brought muscle all night long and it weighed heavily on Clemson, noticeably sapping energy and confidence from the Clemson frontline. Carolina was physical with Clemson, both Meeks and Hicks displayed fierce aggressiveness taking it to the hole, with Meeks bullying his way into the lane and, of course, Hicks' most talked about vicious slam.
Marcus Paige continued to show glimpses he may be returning to his sophomore form as he scored 11 points, drilling 3 of 4 three-pointers and finding a way to dribble penetrate and dish on a few occasions. Johnson added 10 points and 8 rebounds as the Heels, once again, received a well-balanced effort from up and down the depth chart.
Another example of how well the Heels were playing Saturday night in Littlejohn was the fact that UNC only turned the ball over six times. That tied for the lowest turnover output during Roy Williams' coaching tenure at Carolina. Turnovers have been a concern for UNC all season and Carolina had turned it over 30 times in the last two games since Christmas. And, off those six UNC turnovers last night, Clemson still was unable to score. Last time a team didn't score off turnovers versus the Heels was back in January 2012 versus Wake Forest.
UNC pushed its lead to 30 points during the second half and, with its defensive effort, truly showcased the potential that has been blossoming all season long. We already knew that UNC's size advantage on most teams creates a problem for opponents downlow; however, Carolina has also become a very good perimeter defensive team and, quietly, the numbers are beginning to highlight the perimeter D's effectiveness. Teams are shooting just 24.9% from 3-point land against UNC and that low number is a testament to the hard work and dedication the Carolina perimeter players like Paige, Nate Britt, Joel Berry, and Tokoto have been bringing to the court each and every game.
The Heels finally get a win on the road in its season opener as the last two years have ended in defeats (losses to UVA and Wake Forest). Paige knows how much this means for his team moving forward and the confidence builder a 1-0 start in conference play can be (especially with that one win being a road victory)
"I think we made a step, I don't know if we made a statement," Paige explained. "First time since I've been here that we've been 1-0 in league play. It was a step forward for us."
As long as Carolina keeps making these strides on both ends of the floor, there are many more victories to come for the Heels. The ACC is loaded with talented squads up and down the standings assuring that the waters will be rough and turbulent during league games, but getting off to a winning start in conference play may be the confidence booster needed to calm the fiercest of storms.
Next Game: #19 North Carolina (11-3, 1-0 ACC)
vs
#14 Notre Dame (14-1, 2-0 ACC)
Date/Time: Monday, January 5, 2015 @ 7:00pm EST
Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio: ESPN2 or ESPN3 or ESPN / Tar Heel Sports Network
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