Tar Heels break Clemson's heart

CLEMSON, S.C. — North Carolina’s Brady Manek made a layup with 3.1 seconds to play as the Tar Heels beat Clemson, 79-77, Tuesday at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Manek’s game-winner was set up when Caleb Love drove the lane and found the forward open on the other side of the basket for the easy layup. David Collins’ three-point attempt as time expired hit off the front of the rim as UNC escaped Clemson with a victory.

"They ran a little switch action, which we did not switch all game," Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. "We were fine, I think, but we had a mistake in terms of chasing a guy away from the basket. We wanted to stay in the lane and protect and made an error.

"We fought hard to get back in front and, I think, David just kind of watched the ball and Manek made a nice cut behind him. He kind of cut out, and the play went to the rim. David kind of went back and looked at the ball and then Manek kind of back cut from the top, which was really a great cut by an experienced player to make the winning basket."

P.J. Hall, who had four blocked shots in the game, was not on the court when Manek made the game-winner. Hall was once again playing hurt, as he has been dealing with an injured left foot all year. The Tar Heels had already taken advantage of his limitations a few times during the game.

"We felt like they were going to go up and ball screen with P.J.'s man and then just attack him and take it to him and get to the rim," Brownell said. "That happened a little early on a play or two when he kind of got beat off the dribble, or they take it right into him for a foul."

The Tar Heels’ winning basket came after Hall tied the game at 77 with 21 seconds to play. Hall finished the night with a game-high 24 points on 9 of 18 shooting. UNC’s Armando Bacot also scored 24 points and had a game-high 10 rebounds.

With the loss, the Tigers fell to 12-11 overall and 4-8 in the ACC. North Carolina improved to 9-4 in the ACC and 17-7 overall.

Key Play: Collins took a charge from Bacot with 1:03 to go, giving the Tigers possession of the ball with a one-point lead, 75-74. But one the ensuing possession, Hall was called for an offensive foul, turning the ball over to the Tar Heels. Love then made the Tigers pay when he hit a step-back-three from the left side to put the Heels up, 77-75, with 36 seconds to go.

Hall said he was not sure what the foul was, guessing it was a holding foul.

"The play is made down screen and I had him on my shoulder, and I guess he thought I linked him or something. I don't know," Hall said. "Maybe it was a make up for the foul they got. He called it. I guess, he saw a foul."

Player of the Game: Bacot was unstoppable when he was in the game. He scored 24 points on 8 of 10 shooting. He was also 8 of 10 from the foul line.

Coach’s decision: It is not really a coach’s decision, but a player’s decision. The Tigers got a 2-on-1 fastbreak opportunity with 3:11 to play and down a point, 72-71, after a UNC turnover. David Collins threw a lead pass to Chase Hunter for what should have been a layup. However, for some reason, Hunter threw the ball back to Collins, who was not prepared. The ball rolled off his leg and out of bounds, costing Clemson an opportunity to take the lead at the time.

Stat of the game: Ian Schieffelin came off the bench and helped the Tigers immensely against the Tar Heels, as he scored 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting. He was also 3-for-3 from the foul line. His 12 points were a career-high for the freshman.

"I was just getting to the rim,"Schieffelin said. "Usually, I was practicing with Hunter (Tyson) and Coach Dean. They just teach me to pump fake and get to the rim. I can racket-finish pretty well, so I felt like getting to the rim was pretty great for me."

Injuries: Hunter Tyson (Broken Clavicle).

Up Next: Clemson will host No. 7 Duke--the favorite to win the ACC according to Fanduel at -250-- Thursday night at Littlejohn Coliseum. Tip is set for 8 p.m.