3 Clemson Players North Carolina Must Keep Tabs on

Tuesday night is a monumental game for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who host the Clemson Tigers at the Dean E. Smith Center on senior night. With a win, North Carolina would finish the season with an undefeated record at home.

Clemson is a difficult team to assess at the moment because they are coming off a win over Louisville this past weekend, but had lost their last four games before Saturday's win. While the Tigers do not possess a potent scorer, they are a well-balanced team with five players who average at least 8.3 points per game.

Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell reacts to a call Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Louisville Cardinals at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina. Clemson Tigers won 80-75. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With all of that being said, here are three players the Tar Heels will need to pay extra attention to on Tuesday night in the final home game of the season.

RJ Godfrey

The junior forward is averaging 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 62.6 percent from the field. Godfrey is not a threat from beyond the arc, as he has one three-point attempt in the last 10 games. Not to mention, he shoots 14.3 percent from three-point range.

However, the 6-foot-7, 229-pound forward does not need a ton of volume to be productive. Because the Tigers do not possess a scorer who can provide 20+ points regularly, North Carolina should be able to comfortably control the pace of the game and dictate terms on both ends of the floor.

Carter Welling

Welling is averaging 10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range. The 6-foot-9, 224-pound forward has recently returned from injury, so his production in the last two games is a bit misleading, as he has played 21 total minutes during that span.

The junior forward saw an uptick in minutes on Saturday against Louisville, playing 15 minutes and compiling eight points and two rebounds while shooting 2-of-3 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. The Tar Heels' frontcourt could be considerably more comfortable against a non-explosive Clemson offense.

Jestin Porter

The fifth-year senior is averaging 9.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 37.2 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from three-point range.

Porter, as he proved on Saturday, is capable of providing a major boost for the Tigers, as he totaled 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists while shooting 6-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. North Carolina cannot afford to let Porter get loose on Tuesday night.

Feb 28, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis reacts in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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