Slow The Game Down: The Key To Beating UNC

North Carolina vs. Clemson, 7:00 ET

Well, that was not fun. The Super Bowl was one of the most boring games I've ever watched. I'm sure if you are a Philadelphia fan you feel differently - if you're not too hungover and actually reading this. I'm fine with Kansas City losing, and even losing money on the Super Bowl because it was a good season, but if I'm going to lose, can I at least get a good game? I'm expecting a better effort in tonight's game as we switch to the hardwood and see North Carolina head to take on Clemson.

North Carolina has had a tough season, and I think they are in jeopardy of probably not making the NCAA Tournament this year. That would be a disaster, and I really don't think that their head coach, Hubert Davis, will survive them missing again. They came into the year as a ranked team and have stumbled to a 14-10 record at the moment. It isn't just non-conference games that have given them trouble. They've struggled in the ACC games also with losses in five of them. They have struggled lately as well with four losses in the past six games. Three of them have come on the road, falling to Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, and Duke. The other loss was to Stanford at home, but in fairness to them, the Tar Heels were competitive in three of the four games. The two North Carolina wins were not exactly convincing, and both were at home. The two wins came against Boston College, winning by six in overtime, and then by one point over Pittsburgh on Saturday. We know this team is led by RJ Davis, a dynamic scorer who has led the team in scoring for the past six games. With the record being what it was, the assumption has to be that the rest of the team needs to get more involved. The reality is that he may be leading the team in scoring, but he is typically scoring 25% of the points which really isn't that much more than any other team.

Dec 14, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels bench reacts in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

For as bad as the Super Bowl was, the game of the week to watch was Duke vs. Clemson. On Saturday, Clemson hosted the Blue Devils and took them down, handing them a loss for the first time since early in the season. Duke, one of the best teams in the nation, kept trying to take the lead back from the Tigers, but they couldn't quite get over the hump. Every time Duke scored, Clemson had a knockout punch. They did give opportunities to the Blue Devils by missing free throws, but they ended up winning. That puts them at 19-5 for the season and 11-2 in conference play for the year. I would assume that this also should vault them into the top-25 next time the polls come out. Their two losses in ACC play have come against Louisville on the road, and then against Georgia Tech at home in triple overtime, this one came right before the game against Duke. Can they topple both of the most storied teams in the ACC? This team has a good balance from their starting squad with all five averaging nine or more points per game. 

This is one of the games that you need to be a bit cautious about because after such an emotional win, the Tigers may come out and be a bit flat. This is the definition of a letdown game, but I do think Clemson is well-coached and should be able to regroup and realize they have a great chance to beat a stumbling North Carolina team. I lean towards taking the points with North Carolina, but I think the goal for any team is to slow the game down against the Tar Heels. If you don't let them into transition, they are pretty easy to beat. Back the under 144.5 in this one. 

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