2 Focuses That UNC can Lean on to Defeat Clemson

Two games are left in the regular season, which will wrap up this weekend. North Carolina is currently sitting in the fourth seed in the ACC. A top-four seed would secure a double bye for the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament.

Before they can look ahead to next week, they have a tall task in front of them tonight when the Clemson Tigers come to Chapel Hill. This is a massive game for both teams, as both teams are tied for the fourth seed in the conference.

Here are two ways UNC can defeat the Tigers.

Defend the forward tandem of the Tigers

The Tigers have a balanced scoring attack, and only two players on the team average double-digit points. As a team, they are balanced. A different player can lead the team any given night. That is what makes the Tigers hard to read.

They do have a glaring strength in their frontcourt. Carter Welling and RJ Godfrey are a traditional big man pairing. That is rare to see nowadays, but that is what the Tigers have in Welling and Godfrey.

Neither player will look to shoot a 3-pointer, but they can bang down low with the best of them. Henri Veesaar will be tested in the paint, but he will have the clear advantage on the perimeter with his shooting ability.

Head coach Hubert Davis should use Veesaar’s ability to shoot to draw Welling and Godfrey out of the paint. This would let Seth Trimble and others shine in attacking the basket and playing to the Tar Heels’ strengths.

Trimble and Veesaar continue dominance

UNC needs to play through Trimble and Veesaar to continue its momentum in the postseason and get past the Tigers. Veesaar is coming off his last game, where he tied his career high of 26 points. He was nearly perfect in the second half against Virginia Tech.

Trimble set his career high last week against Louisville with 30 points. The duo of Veesaar and Trimble has stepped up big time in the absence of Caleb Wilson. There was a lot of talk about Trimble needing to step up, and he has done that and more since Wilson has been injured.

Veesaar and Trimble are more than just points on the board. They make their teammates better. The bench was a huge reason why the Tar Heels defeated the Hokies. It was a tight ballgame, but one thing stood out, and that was the production off the bench. UNC outscored the Hokies 32-13 in bench points.

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