Unbeaten #1 North Carolina Travels to #19 Clemson to See if Tigers Are for Real

One year ago, UNC ... a national championship contender ranked #4 ... went into Littlejohn Coliseum at Clemson to face the 17-1 Tigers. They left with a creaming of Clemson, 77-55, and the Tigers would go on to lose 9 of 11 games. In that game, Clemson made a horrid 5-of-19 from the free throw line.

Same sort of story heading into this year's game. North Carolina enters the game at 14-0 and the #1 ranked team in the land. Clemson is 12-1 heading into their ACC opener. This will be a big game for Clemson to see if they are indeed a different team from last year and one to be reckoned with in the ACC.

UNC comes into this game lacking its usual depth. Bobby Frasor is done for the season after tearing up his knee, Quentin Thomas is recovering from a sprained ankle and Alex Stepheson has been in California tending to his sick dad. If Stepheson doesn't play, that will be big news in facing a big Clemson front line who is tenacious on the boards.

Clemson may have trouble with their patented press. Last year, they used the press to confuse a freshmanTy Lawson into a career low two points, three assists and seven turnovers. Lawson is a completely different play now, as an aggressive playmaker who has shown good range of late.

The big matchup, of course, will be Tyler Hansbrough and James Mays, two physical players who may be the best interior players in the league.

The Tar Heels lead the all-time series, ahem, 118-19.