Lucas: Clemson Rapid Reactions – University of North Carolina Athletics

1. Carolina completed an 18-0 season at the Smith Center with a 67-63 win over Clemson.

2. Sure, it was senior night. But this was also Luka Bogavac’s night. He scored 17 second half points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting to bring the Heels back from a second half deficit. He finished with a season-high 20 points, including a pair of huge free throws with 12.2 seconds to play that pushed the lead to three. With Bogavac’s production, the Heels have 59 points off the bench in the last two games. He also had a big defensive stop in the final 20 seconds.

3. Those free throws set up an interesting finish. After a timeout, the Tigers advanced the ball to midcourt and called timeout with 10.0 seconds left. The Heels elected not to foul and Clemson went for a two instead of a game-tying three. They missed the two, and senior Seth Trimble fittingly iced it at the line with a free throw.

4. With the win, Carolina finishes the year 18-0 at the Smith Center. That’s the most home wins in a single season in school history, and just the sixth undefeated mark in the Smith Center in school history (the others are 2016-17, 2010-11, 2004-05, 1992-93 and 1986-87). Included in those 18 victories are three wins over ranked teams.

5. Bogavac will get most of the attention for his scoring. But Jarin Stevenson was terrific. He finished with nine points and ten rebounds, three of them offensive and seemingly all at critical times. The last came with a minute to play and Carolina holding a two-point lead. That led to a UNC timeout and a clutch Derek Dixon three-pointer.

6. The Heels trailed by three at the break, largely because they managed just eight points in the paint and struggled to generate offense. Clemson was fully committed to stopping the UNC transition game and did not allow a fast break point in the first half. For the game, the Heels had just 18 points in the paint and three fast break points–on a Bogavac three, of course.

7. Hubert Davis trusted Henri Veesaar in the first half and it paid off. Veesaar was saddled with two fouls early in the first half and sat for several minutes, but Davis reinserted the veteran with 7:52 to go. He was able to play most of the remainder of the half without getting a third foul and finished tied for the team-high at +7 in the first 20 minutes. Carolina needed him on the court in a half when they trailed 30-27 at the break.

8. Veesaar was important offensively in the second half, when he had seven points (he ended with 13 points and six rebounds). But he was just as important defensively, as his height and reach was an important part of holding RJ Godfrey without a field goal over the final 8:51 of the game. At that point, Godfrey had 21 points (a dozen in the second half at that point) and looked like he was well on his way to 30. Without his offense, Clemson struggled to score. Veesaar was +19 before fouling out late–second only to Bogavac’s +22.

9. Trimble didn’t have a great senior night, scoring nine points to go with his three rebounds. But he’s also a captain of the only team in program history to go 18-0 at home–with more to play for over the remainder of this season. His ball-handling also helped the Heels manage the game against a Tiger team that is first in the ACC in forcing turnovers in conference games. Carolina had just nine miscues.

10. There was a well-deserved huge ovation for RJ Davis at halftime when he was honored for his five-year career that earned him a place in the Smith Center rafters. Davis made the cross-country trip to attend the ceremony with his parents and will be in Oklahoma City for a noon eastern game tomorrow. 

11. If you’re not already a subscriber to the Carolina Insider podcast feed and YouTube channel, it’s a good time to do it. There’s an informative new episode of The Arena Discussion coming tomorrow, and some upcoming interviews you won’t want to miss. In addition to those interviews, the YouTube feed has part two of the very fun fan reactions to the win over Duke coming this week. 

12. Don’t forget that in addition to Senior Day for the players–postgame speeches for Elijah Davis and Trimble returned this year, and you’ll be able to find the audio tomorrow on that same Carolina Insider podcast feed–it’s also senior day for managers. James Rolf Blizzard, Zach Dunn and Avery Wilkerson have been stalwarts for the program and worked their last game at the Smith Center.

13. Tuesday’s win was impactful for ACC Tournament seeding. The Tar Heels are in a solid position for a double bye but still have a little more work to do. A double bye would be assured with a win at Duke on Saturday, or by Miami winning at least one game over the remainder of the regular season (the Hurricanes are at SMU tonight and home against Louisville on Saturday). A three-way tie between UNC, Miami and Clemson would revert to an absurd ACC tiebreaker in which Carolina’s wins over Duke and Virginia would be inconsequential and the Heels would drop to the fifth seed.

14. Carolina now travels to Durham on Saturday for the regular season finale at 6:30 p.m.