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North Carolina continued its redemption tour from a disappointing 2022-23 season on Saturday in its 65-55 win over Associated Press No. 16 Clemson.
Last year, North Carolina became the first team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll to fail to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels began that season 1-2 in conference play. With the win against the Tigers, No. 8 North Carolina (11-3) is 3-0 in the ACC this season. It also has impressive nonconference wins against Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee to solidify its place as a likely NCAA Tournament team. Per ESPN’s Bracketology, the Tar Heels are a projected No. 3 seed in the South Region.
Seniors R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot returned, with Davis leading the Tar Heels in scoring (21.1 points per game) and assists (3.6 per game) and Bacot leading in rebounds (10.8 rebounds).
They led the way against Clemson, each scoring a team-high 14 points. Bacot also had 16 rebounds, giving him seven double-doubles this season.
Transfers Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan have also played significant roles this season and combined for 19 points and four of North Carolina’s eight made threes on Saturday.
The 55 points allowed were the Tar Heels’ second-fewest of the season; they allowed 52 points to UC Riverside on Nov. 17. Clemson entered the game averaging 82.2 points per game, 44th in the country.
North Carolina also had a strong defensive performance on Tuesday against Pittsburgh, holding the Panthers to 57 points, 21.8 points below their season average.
The Tar Heels look like the team many thought they’d be last season coming off a three-point loss to Kansas in the 2022 national championship game.
It took a yearlong detour, but North Carolina is a contender again.
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