Clemson upsets No. 3 North Carolina for huge NCAA Tournament resume booster

Clemson needed some ammunition for its NCAA Tournament resume and had a marvelous chance to add some with a game against No. 3 North Carolina on the road on Tuesday night.

And the Tigers certainly looked prepared from the jump, getting out to an early lead and hanging onto it despite a second-half surge from the Tar Heels.

Clemson led almost from start to finish and managed to hang on in the final minute to preserve an 80-76 win that could cement the team as an NCAA Tournament squad. There are still games to be played, but it’ll be tough to make a case that the Tigers aren’t one of the nation’s 68 best teams.

The Tigers were led by big man PJ Hall in the contest.

Hall nearly recorded a double-double, scoring 25 points while pulling down nine rebounds in the contest. While he worked things down low and simultaneously stretched the floor, guard Joe Girard III got hot from beyond the arc. Girard scored 21 in the contest.

Ian Schieffelin was the other double-figure scorer for the Tigers, pouring in 14 points while posting a double-double will 11 rebounds.

There weren’t many differences in the major statistical categories when the game ended, with it reflecting a fairly evenly played contest. But Clemson played with the lead virtually throughout.

The Tigers jumped out to a 15-2 lead in the contest before the Tar Heels seemed to settle in and start playing. While contributions for Clemson came from just about everywhere, though, North Carolina really relied on its two biggest stars.

Guard RJ Davis actually passed Michael Jordan on the North Carolina career scoring list during the contest, doing so by scoring 22 points in the contest. But he needed 22 shots to get there.

Armando Bacot, meanwhile, went to work in the paint and turned in a strong overall effort. He finished with 24 points on 13 shots, while also pulling down 13 rebounds for a double-double.

The Tar Heels had only one other double-figure scorer in the contest, forward Harrison Ingram with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting.

North Carolina fought all the way back to overturn the deficit, briefly tying the game at 70-70 with 4:18 remaining. However, Clemson would go on to score the next six points to re-establish the lead and regain control.

Clemson was able to ice the game at the free-throw line.