How to Watch Clemson Tigers Basketball vs. North Carolina in the ACC Tournament

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s the season of survive and advance, and the Clemson Tigers will look to do so again on Thursday night against another opponent they’ve fallen to.

Clemson will play No. 19 North Carolina tonight to cap off the Thursday slate of games in the quartefinals of the ACC Tournament. The Tigers came off of a win to Wake Forest last night, defeating an opponent they lost to in the regular season, going coast-to-coast in a 71-62 victory.

On Thursday night, head coach Brad Brownell and his team will look to do that again: beat an opponent they’ve lost to this season. North Carolina took a tough 67-63 win over Clemson at the Dean E. Smith Center nine days ago, giving the Tar Heels the final double-bye spot to set up this matchup once again this week.

Brownell remembers what went wrong in the loss, and he will look at the tape to see what to fix going into Thursday’s game.

“Yeah, I don't know. Some of it was the way North Carolina was guarding us,” he said on Wednesday night. I thought they really were staying pretty tight to our perimeter players, and so there was a little more space maybe. But we'll have to see how it kind of stacks up tomorrow in terms of how they play and where we feel like we can find some holes to make a play.”

The storyline of the Wake Forest game, despite so many positives, was the loss of starting center Carter Welling, who went down in the first half with a knee injury. He wouldn’t return to the game, being on crutches when the game ended.

Brownell will need the supporting cast to step up once again, a unit that had 22 bench points in Wednesday’s win.

“We just kind of coming into the tournament, we wanted to do something a little different,” he said. “That really ended up being a good decision. I thought our guys off the bench were terrific. I thought it kept us fresh, and I thought we played about as well as we can play in the first half.”

North Carolina is coming off of fresh legs, but momentum will be in Clemson’s favor, especially following a first-half performance where the Tigers shot 50% from the field and from three in the win. That will need to be the same on Thursday night, and while the Tar Heels don’t have freshman standout Caleb Wilson, others can hurt the Tigers.

Forward Henri Veesaar leads the team in scoring with 16.3 points and 8.4 rebounds, while senior Seth Trimble has won games on his own. He averages 13 points per game. Keep an eye out for freshman Luka Bogavac, who hit six threes on his own in the March 3 win.

Brownell believed the game in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, nine days ago was a battle. He expects the same in a matchup that could put the Tigers up a seed in the NCAA Tournament if they pull out a statement win, one that could define their season.

“It was a heck of a game the first time. I thought we played very well,” he said. “Give North Carolina credit; they found ways to make plays down the stretch, made some big threes against us. But it was a heck of a matchup. Our guys competed our tails off. They did, as well.

It was a great college game. Hopefully tomorrow is the same.”

Clemson Tigers Injury Report

Zac Foster (torn ACL): OUT

Trent Steinour (shoulder): OUT

Carter Welling (knee): OUT

Clemson Tigers [23-9, 12-6 ACC] vs. No. 19 North Carolina Tar Heels [24-7, 12-6 ACC]: What You Need To Know

Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

When: Thursday, March 12, 9:30 p.m.

Watch: ESPN

Play-by-Play: Dave O’Brien
Analyst: Cory Alexander
Sideline Reporter: Molly McGrath

Listen: Clemson Athletic Network

Play-by-Play: Don Munson
Analyst: Tim Bourret

Odds: North Carolina is a 1.5-point favorite against Clemson, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 141.5 points.

Editor's note: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Series History: North Carolina has won most of the series, leading 137-25 on Clemson all-time. That includes the last game, when the Tar Heels took a 67-63 win over the Tigers in Chapel Hill to begin March.