1. Bad night at Littlejohn, as Clemson cruises to an 85-65 win over Carolina. It tied the biggest Clemson win ever in the series.
2. Carolina got outplayed and out-efforted by Clemson in that game. In a game they very much needed, the Tar Heels saw Clemson play harder and execute better. The Tigers are an experienced, good team–and they looked like it, even coming off an emotional win here on Saturday night.
3. The stats, as you would expect, aren’t pretty. Clemson shot 50.8 percent from the field, shot 48 percent from three-point range, dominated the backboards 41-27…they did everything they needed to do to win the game. The Tigers shot more free throws than UNC, the eighth time that has happened in the last 12 games. Carolina shot more free throws than the opponent in nine of the first 13 games.
4. You can’t fault the effort of RJ Davis and Seth Trimble. The contributions from those two, plus some Carolina success with the press on one possession in the first half and again in the second half, were about the extent of the bright spots. Davis scored 18 points and Trimble had 12.
5. With Clemson’s solid front line, the Tar Heels adjusted the starting lineup and went with two post players, as the guard trio of Elliot Cadeau, RJ Davis and Seth Trimble joined Ven-Allen Lubin and Jae’Lyn Withers. That’s the first time the Heels have used that starting combination this year (the sixth different group of starters this season), and was Withers’ first start since the Michigan State game in Maui.
6. Turnovers were again a problem. Elliot Cadeau committed four in 16 first half minutes, the sixth time in the last 10 games that he has had at least four turnovers. He finished with six and Carolina as a team committed 13. Fortunately, the Tigers only turned them into 15 points.
7. That was part of a first half that saw Clemson shoot 56 percent from the field and Victor Lahkin rack up 20 points in 14 minutes on 8-for-11 shooting, including 4-for-4 from three-point range. Lahkin finished with 22 points.
8. Lahkin’s perimeter efforts were integral to a half that saw the Tigers go 8-for-12 from three. Carolina shot 50 percent from the field in the first half…and still trailed by 16 at the break. The Heels tried a full-court press on one possession in the first half. It led to a turnover, but that was the only appearance for that set in the first 20 minutes.
9. Ian Jackson’s struggles continue. His shot isn’t falling from the field, and it’s starting to impact his play on both ends. Jackson finished 0-for-8 from the field, his second straight 0-for from the field, as he played just 17 minutes. Jackson is now 18-61 (29.5 percent) in his last six games. It is not by any means exclusively a Jackson problem–the Heels are just having trouble finding offense from anywhere right now.
10. The press has to be a bigger part of Carolina’s plan going forward. The Tar Heels need the easy scoring opportunities it sometimes creates. It will definitely also give up some occasional easy baskets, but the Tar Heels aren’t playing great defensively in the halfcourt anyway. The one encouraging statistic in the entire game is that Carolina forced 15 Clemson turnovers. They have to find a way to do that more often.
11. The loss dropped the Tar Heels to 3-6 on the road, and they have now dropped four straight away from the Smith Center. Another road game comes up Saturday at Syracuse.
12. Clemson has now won five of the last nine games in this series.
