2 Keys for UNC to Avoid Upset in ACC Quarterfinals

North Carolina will take on Clemson tonight in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. The Tigers are coming off a convincing win in the second round over Wake Forest, while UNC has been sitting with its double bye.

This will be the Tar Heels' first game since last Saturday, when they got blown out against Duke in the regular season finale. UNC has to put that game behind them and focus on what is in front of them, and that is the Tigers.

These two teams have met very recently, as UNC defeated the Tigers last Tuesday when the Tar Heels completed the 18-0 home record. It was a 67-63 slobberknocker, and neither team was going down without a fight. It should be a competitive matchup from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC.

Here are two keys that could lead to victory.

Take Control of the paint

The Tigers have two old-school big men in RJ Godfrey and Carter Welling. Neither looks to shoot from beyond the arc often, as they are interested in dominating down low. They did just that in the regular season against the Tar Heels.

Welling is unlikely to play tonight, due to suffering a knee injury in last night's Tigers win over the Demon Deacons.

Godfrey had his best game of the season, as he scored 22 points on 10-13 shooting. Henri Veesaar got in foul trouble early, which did not help, but Hubert Davis did not do him any favors by not bringing a single double team on Godfrey all night.

Zayden High, Jarin Stevenson, and Veesaar will have their hands full in the paint. All will have to take some responsibility and pride to slow down Godfrey. If UNC can control the paint, then its chances of winning will skyrocket.

Seth Trimble Has To Be Better

Seth Trimble has to have a better game, or it could be another scary one. Trimble scored just nine points and shot 2-10 from the field. This was one of the worst performances of the season for the UNC guard.

Luka Bogavac saved the Tar Heels with a historic six 3-pointer game. The freshman came off the bench and gave UNC 20 points, and led his squad to a win. It was the first time a Tar Heel has hit six or more threes in a game this season.

The chances of Bogavac repeating that performance are low, so Trimble has to be better. He is the clear leader on this team, especially without Caleb Wilson. All eyes will be on the senior guard, but how will he respond? Trimble has shown up in huge moments this season, and the Tar Heels will need another clutch performance.