Clemson beats No. 19 UNC and faces No. 1 Duke in ACC semifinals

Nick Davidson had 17 points and 11 rebounds as fifth-seeded Clemson upset fourth-seeded North Carolina 80-79 in the Atlantic Coast Conferenec tournament Thursday night in Charlotte.

The 19th-ranked Tar Heels (24-8) turn their attention to Selection Sunday to confirm their NCAA Tournament fate, while the Tigers (24-9) face top seed No. 1 Duke in Friday’s semifinals.

Derek Dixon’s 3-pointer off a Seth Trimble dish cut Clemson’s lead to one point with 2.9 seconds left, capping a 21-7 late surge for the Tar Heels. North Carolina had a chance to score on its final possession of the game, but Jarin Stevenson’s move in halfcourt was short-lived.

Davidson was one of six Clemson players to score in double figures. Dillon Hunter had 14 points, RJ Godfrey had 13, Ace Buckner had 11 and Butta Johnson and Jestin Porter each had 10.

In their second straight loss since freshman phenom Caleb Wilson was ruled out for the season with a hand injury, the Tar Heels were led by Henri Veesaar’s career-high 28 points and 17 rebounds. Dixon scored 16 points, Trimble had 13 points and eight assists and Stevenson added 12 points. UNC had a 47.5% field goal percentage and a 36.7% 3-point percentage.

Clemson led by as many as 18 and outscored the Tar Heels in the first half with a 19-5 run, highlighted by Buckner’s 3-pointer from the left wing off an assist from Godfrey. The Tigers had an eight-point advantage at halftime and went on a 12-4 run, with Davidson’s deep 3-pointer hitting Porter’s dime.

The Tigers played without second-leading scorer and top rebounder Carter Welling, who tore his right anterior cruciate ligament Wednesday against Wake Forest. He averaged 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Clemson shot 49.1% from the floor, 47.4% from 3-point range, and turned the ball over just seven times.

–Field level media