Clemson Looks to End Three-Game Skid Against North Carolina

Clemson Women's Basketball will look to pull an upset vs. North Carolina. Photo By: Charles Mays/Tiger View Media

The Clemson Tigers will host the thirteenth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, coming off a two-point win at Stanford. The Tar Heels are currently 20-4 overall on the season and 8-3 within ACC play, which has them in sixth place. North Carolina has won seven of their last eight games, with their only loss coming against twenty-second-ranked Florida State. North Carolina Head Coach Courtney Banghart has been with the Tar Heels since 2019 and has made the tournament in each of the last four seasons. North Carolina's deepest tournament run under Banghart was in the 2021-22 season when the Tar Heels made it to the Regional Semifinal before being knocked out by South Carolina. North Carolina is poised to make their fifth straight tournament, with the Tar Heels projected as a 3-seed in ESPN's most recent bracketology. UNC is on the brink of another tournament appearance due to the play of Senior Guard Alyssa Ustby, who averages 11.6 points per game, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and a block on 47% shooting. Ustby has scored double digits in her last three games, leading the team in scoring on Sunday against Stanford. Another impact player for this North Carolina side is Maria Gakdeng. The 6'3" Forward from Lanham, Maryland, averages 11 points per game, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks on 62.9% shooting. Last season, Gakdeng led the ACC in two-point percentage, shooting 62.6% from inside the arc. Although North Carolina has a star-studded roster, the most impressive part of this team is their defense. The Tar Heels are 19th in the country in points allowed per game and 15th in defensive rating out of 362 teams. The Tigers will have a tough time scoring on Sunday when they take on this vaunted North Carolina defense. 

The Clemson Tigers come home to Littlejohn Coliseum on a three-game skid, with losses to Syracuse, Boston College, and tenth-ranked Duke. Clemson is 11-12 overall on the season and 4-8 within the ACC, which has them tied for 10th place with Boston College and Virginia. The Tigers are coming off a tough loss to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, losing 74-55. Clemson shot the ball surprisingly well during Thursday night's game, going 19/38 from the floor and 7/13 from behind the arc. But Clemson's Achilles' heel was the number of times they turned the ball over. The Tigers had a staggering 27 turnovers, with Mia Moore and Loyal McQueen leading the way with five apiece. The Clemson defense struggled to stop Duke's dynamic duo of Ashlon Jackson and Toby Fournier, as the two combined for 35 points on 15/24 shooting from the floor. To get back on track, the Tigers will need Loyal McQueen to get out of her recent slump and start hitting shots again. In her last two games, McQueen has a combined 8 points and five turnovers in 59 minutes of play. If the Tigers plan to upset the thirteenth-ranked Tar Heels, they will need McQueen to find her groove again. Another player that needs to step up for Clemson is Mia Moore. In her last three games, Moore has scored a total of 16 points, along with nine turnovers. On the season, Moore averages 10.0 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, and two assists on 40.3% shooting from the floor. The Tigers need Moore back at her best for Sunday afternoon's affair. Although there haven't been many positives to this Clemson team over the past two games, Maddi Cluse has been one of them. On the season, Cluse only averages 4.6 points per game and 2.8 rebounds, but she has become a different player over the past two games. Cluse has a combined total of 31 points and nine rebounds on 12/20 shooting from the field and 6/8 from behind the arc. If Cluse can continue her strong play of late, the Tigers can find a way to beat the Tar Heels. Game time is set for 2:00 PM on February 9 at Littlejohn Coliseum and is available to watch on ACC Extra.