Clemson basketball had to hold on for dear life.
Despite a heart-stopping final four minutes at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, the Tigers advanced past North Carolina 80-79 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals to set up a semifinal match-up with Duke tomorrow night. All that after blowing a 18-point lead in the final minutes.
After a back-and-forth start to the contest, Clemson opened a nine-point lead more than halfway through the opening stanza, only to see North Carolina close the gap to two. The Tigers ripped off another run in the closing minutes of the half, though, and took a 39-31 lead into the locker room.
Despite playing without star junior Carter Welling, who suffered a torn ACL and is out for the remainder of the season, Clemson built upon that lead as the second half progressed. Butta Johnson knocked down a big three in transition as part of a crushing run that pushed the lead to 55-41 with just under 13 minutes to play.
The Tar Heels, meanwhile, struggling to find the range. After shooting just 3 of 12 from long range and 4 of 9 from the free throw line in the first half, North Carolina continued to misfire from deep as the lead for Clemson basketball swelled to 17. But something happened on the way to what seemed like a runaway victory.
Behind big man Henri Veesaar and point guard Derek Dixon, North Carolina mounted a final, desperate charge in the final five minutes. Veesaar and Dixon got hot from three-point range, firing from the hip in an effort to shoot the Tar Heels back into it. And once calibrated, the barrage was lethal.
Veesaar connected on a trio of three-point shots, with Luke Bogavac and Dixon joining in the three-point parade. While Clemson, particularly Nick Davidson, continued to knock down free throws, North Carolina was trading those two points for three on the other end as the lead quickly vanished.
Dixon’s final three-pointer, with just over 12 seconds to play, cut the Tigers’ lead to a harrowing single point, with Davidson going to the line with 2.7 seconds to play. After missing the first, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell called timeout and instructed Davidson to miss again, intentionally, as the Tar Heels were out of timeouts.
A smart strategy, as North Carolina could only manage a desperation heave by Jarin Stevenson from three quarters court as time expired.
Davidson led Clemson with 17 points while RJ Godfrey chipped in with 13. Veesaar lead all scorers with a career-high 28 points for North Carolina to go along with 17 rebounds. Dixon added 16 for the Tar Heels.
BATTLE IN THE ACC 📈 Clemson Tigers vs. Duke Blue Devils | Full Game Highlights | ESPN CBB
Clemson basketball will take on the Blue Devils with a trip to the ACC Championship game on the line, with tip-off scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on Friday night. Duke defeated Clemson 67-54 on February 14.
