Another huge opportunity awaits Clemson on Saturday against No. 5 UNC
It’s March and with the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament right around the corner, time is winding down on the regular season for Brad Brownell’s group.
A win tomorrow would be huge to bolster their tournament resume, but they’ll have to do it against North Carolina (6 p.m., ESPN) who is No. 5 in the latest AP poll and is playing great basketball as they head into March Madness.
“You know how fast they play, how efficient they play in terms of the way they get up and down the floor. Great rebounding team, but they’re also a great passing team. I think sometimes that’s mistaken but not talked about enough,” Brad Brownell noted earlier today.
“You watch them on film and they really move the basketball and do a good job of running their offense and they get guys to play unselfishly,” Brownell noted. “Coach Williams does a great job of getting guys who are very talented players to play unselfishly and we know we’re going to have to play our best game of the year to win.”
There’s no deying that the Tar Heels have talent all over the place. Luke Maye, Cam Johnson, and Coby White are just some guys that are the reason why they’ll make a run in the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
Exhibit A is their ability to score points in the paint. UNC had 62 points against Duke last Wednesday in a game where the Blue Devils lost Zion Williamson to an injury. We asked Brownell if attacking in the paint is something that is a focal point for his guys watching them on film and he said it’s hard because UNC is good everywhere.
“They make 9+ threes a game, they have great one-on-one play so whether it’s in the post or out on the perimeter attacking off the bounce to get out in transition. They crash the glass and get a lot of points in the paint off of rebounding, transition, and guys making plays,” Brownell told us.
They’re not maybe as big as some of the traditional North Carolina teams of the past but they haven’t been quite as big. Very good, very skilled, it’s one of the more skilled teams that you play in terms of guys that can shoot it, pass it, dribble it, move it and spread you out because of that.”
This game means a lot to Clemson’s tournament chances and every game feels like a must win at this point.
“Obviously because of their ranking and their record and how good they are, it’s a tremendous opportunity for a win in terms of what it means as aspirations of playing in the (NCAA) Tournament. Our guys know that and known that for awhile now so we’re just excited about that game and the prospects of a great crowd in Littlejohn and the challenge of playing a really good team.”