No. 4 seed UNC men's basketball fell to No. 5 seed Clemson 80-79 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The loss marked a sudden exit from the conference tournament for the Tar Heels, who came in ranked No. 19 nationally.
UNC struggled to get contributions from its supporting cast all night. A lack of offensive production, especially from the bench, plagued the Tar Heels, with Clemson's bench outscoring UNC's 26-5. This glaring disadvantage ultimately made the difference in a game that came down to the final seconds.
Henri Veesaar had 28 points and 17 rebounds to lead UNC, anchoring both ends of the floor with an aggressive effort. Derek Dixon was also a major reason Carolina was able to make it close with a barrage of three-pointers late in the game to finish with 16 points. Jarin Stevenson made two three-pointers on his way to 12 points and seven boards, while Seth Trimble finished with 13 points and eight assists. The Tar Heels' third-quarter adjustments created real danger, but with under five minutes remaining, North Carolina went on a strong 3-point shooting run and got within 1, but couldn't buy enough time with fouling and missed a last second heave that would have won the game.
While both teams are in the projected NCAA Tournament field, UNC now heads to the selection show without conference tournament momentum. Per Bracket Matrix, UNC is projected as a five seed when looking at average seeding. This loss follows a disappointing regular season finish. UNC defeated Clemson 67-63 in Chapel Hill on March 3, but then lost their regular season finale at Duke on March 7. The Tar Heels await their NCAA Tournament seeding on Sunday. Looking for more March upsets? FSU pulled off a stunning ACC Tournament victory over Cal earlier this week in another competitive matchup.