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North Carolina looks to get its season back on track beginning with a home game versus Clemson on Saturday at the Smith Center.
The Tar Heels have dropped three consecutive games after winning ten of 12, with the most recent defeat so bad it prompted a 37-minute team meeting in the locker room right after Tuesday loss at Wake Forest. Challenges by head coach Hubert Davis and senior Armando Bacot were made. Saturday will offer a glimpse into how their words resonated.
In one stretch earlier this season, Clemson won 11 of 12 games, with the loss inexplicably to Loyola, Chicago, which isn’t the same club that reached the Final Four a few years back. The Ramblers have come down to earth and have a 275 NET rating, and the margin that day was 18 points. Clemson also has a loss to South Carolina, which has never been any good this season.
That said, Brad Brownell’s team is certainly capable of reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and have been better than the Tar Heels this season.
Clemson is 18-6 overall and tied for first in the ACC at 10-3. UNC is 15-9 overall and 7-6 in league play.
Here are 5 things to watch for:
