CLEMSON, S.C. – North Carolina picked up another significant road win Saturday afternoon, improving to 3-0 in the ACC for the first time in eight years.
The eighth-ranked Tar Heels battled 16th-ranked Clemson 65-55 in a top-25 matchup at Littlejohn Coliseum, their second tough win in a challenging road environment this week, which included a timely shot also required persistence.
Armando Bacot delivered 14 points and 16 rebounds while battling deep against Clemson standout PJ Hall. RJ Davis (14 points) and Cormac Ryan (10 points) also scored in double figures for UNC, which won its first three ACC games for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
The Tar Heels (11-3 overall, 3-0 ACC) earned a tough road win four nights ago in Pittsburgh and answered the bell here at Clemson that day too, despite shooting 35.7 percent in the second half and 41 .7 percent for the game.
In the final 5½ minutes, Bacot fought through Hall's fourth foul to make it a three-point play, then found the cutting Davis on a reverse layup and Carolina led 60-55. Later, Harrison Ingram, who was struggling, managed a hanging drive at the glass to take a 62-55 lead with 2:24 left. Meanwhile, Clemson went scoreless in the final five minutes of the game.
UNC defeated a ranked Clemson team for the first time since 2008. Chase Hunter with 17 points and Ian Schieffelin with 16 points and 11 rebounds paced the Tigers (11-3, 1-2). The Tar Heels were able to avoid big plays from Hall, who entered the season as the ACC's second-leading scorer, and the sharp-shooting Joseph Girard III.
UNC's Cormac Ryan battles with Clemson's Ian Schieffelin. (Photo: Jim Hawkins / Inside Carolina)
Cormac Ryan limped at the end of the first half
Cormac Ryan had a productive first half with 10 points and three assists. He hit two 3-pointers, rolled off the ball for a catch-and-shoot jumper and drained a floater in the lane. He also sacked Jalen Washington twice in the final 3:13 minutes of the half, scoring two shots.
But Ryan went down in pain with 2:12 left before halftime, holding his right foot/ankle after it appeared Girard hit him while falling after a 3-point attempt. Big man Washington was there too, blocking Girard's shot.
Ryan re-laced his right sneaker as he was treated on the court. He spent about a minute of game time on either end of the Carolina bench and was examined by athletic trainer Doug Halverson before returning to the game. Ryan sprained the same ankle in the final seconds of UNC's overtime loss to Villanova in the Bahamas on Thanksgiving Day. He missed the Tar Heels' loss to Arkansas the next day.
Next on the agenda is
Carolina concludes its three-game ACC road stretch Wednesday night at rival NC State (8 p.m., ESPN). The Wolf Pack hosts Virginia on Saturday afternoon looking to improve to 3-0 in league play to begin the season.
It is the first of two regular season meetings between UNC and NC State. The Tar Heels lead the all-time series 164-80, including 68-48 in total road games and 18-6 at PNC Arena. Carolina has dominated the rivalry for some time, winning 29 of the last 35 meetings, although the Wolf Pack won the last matchup in February 2023, one of the missed away opportunities that ultimately kept Carolina out of the NCAA Tournament.