Clemson visits North Carolina on Sunday, meaning that we all have to pull out the most unbelievable stat in ACC basketball: the Tigers are 0-52 at Chapel Hill. Since their first meeting at Carolina back in 1926 (a 50-20 Tar Heel win) to the last time Clemson visited (a 16-point loss in 2006), the Tigers have gone home losers each and every time they come to Chapel Hill to play.
Does that end on Sunday? Maybe.
The Tar Heels enter the game reeling a bit. They lost to rival Duke by 11 on Wednesday and are fighting injuries and some lack of confidence. Point guard Ty Lawson has missed all but two minutes of the Heels' last two games with a high ankle sprain while his back-up, Bobby Frasor, was lost for the season with a knee injury in December. His backcourt mate, Wayne Ellington, has been struggling ... hitting just six of his last 23 shots and is just 26-of-73 (35%)over the last six games. The sweet shooting Ellington also has hit just six of his last 28 shots from behind the arc.
If you remember, Ellington was the main reason that Carolina won at Clemson in an overtime classic back on January 6th. He went for 36 points, including a game-winning three pointer in the extra frame.
Clemson doesn't do too well no matter where they play (UNC owns a 119-19 advantage in the "series") but seem to be coming together a bit. The Tigers mauled Virginia last night by 31 despite having a few injuries of their own. James Mays looks like a mummy out there with all the bandages and wraps he has while Demontez Stitt has missed the last two games with a knee injury.
However, guys like KC Rivers (who put 32 points on Virginia) and Cliff Hammonds are stepping up big. The Tigers have the ACC's third highest scoring offense and scoring margin (trailing only UNC and Duke in both categories) and boasts the conference's best three point shooting team.
Hmmm. Three point shooting? Remember what happened Wednesday night when Duke visited Chapel Hill? Yeah, Clemson is better. The other problem: Clemson leads the ACC in steals. If Lawson doesn't play or has limited mobility ... this plays right into the Tigers' hands. Also, remember that both of North Carolina's losses this season have been at the Smith Center.
All this could add up into the Tigers finally breaking that 52-game losing skid.
