Good, Bad and Ugly From UNC's Win Over Clemson

North Carolina picked up a hard-fought win over Clemson last night. This win completed UNC’s undefeated season in Chapel Hill. The last time they went undefeated at home, they won the national championship.

This win put UNC one step closer to securing a double bye in the ACC Tournament. Next up is the season finale this Saturday in a rematch against Duke.

Here is the good, bad and ugly from UNC’s win over Clemson.

Good: Luka Bogavac

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Luka Bogavac (44) drives during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

UNC has been waiting for Luka Bogavac to pop off, and he did just that against the Tar Heels. He went through a stretch at the beginning of the year where he could not buy a bucket. Last night, he scored 20 points and knocked down six 3-pointers.

This was Bogavac’s season high in points and 3-pointers made. His six 3-pointers were the first time a player for UNC has hit six or more 3-pointers this season. He carried UNC through the last 10 minutes of the game and willed his team to a win.

Bad: Stars struggled

The defense for the Tigers showed out and gave the Tar Heels massive problems. The ability to shut down driving lanes and clog the paint paid dividends for the Tigers. Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar combined to go 8 of 19 from the field.

This is the best defense UNC has played in a while, and it showed. Give credit to the Tigers. They stepped up, sat in the chair, and played Trimble and Veesaar extremely well. The Tigers gave the Tar Heels a good fight, but it was not enough at the end of the night.

This is extremely disappointing to see after both Trimble and Veesaar had career games over the past week for the Tar Heels. The duo will need to be better not just this Saturday against Duke, but in the ACC Tournament.

Ugly: Paint defense

The Tigers destroyed the Tar Heels down low. It has been the opposite as of late, as UNC has been dominant in the paint, but that was not the case against the Tigers. The old-school big man duo of RJ Godfrey and Carter Welling manned up and used their size to punish UNC.

Veesaar got into foul trouble in the first half, which also played a key role in the dominance of the Tigers. Veesaar was not as aggressive on the defensive end, which led to multiple layups by Godfrey and Welling.

The Tigers duo had 13 points in the first half and outscored the Tar Heels in the paint 18-8. UNC was down by three points at halftime, and they were extremely lucky to trail by only that much. The abysmal 3-point shooting by the Tigers kept the Tar Heels in the game.

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