CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina’s unprecedented dominance in homecourt outings against Clemson could be in danger Tuesday night.
Clemson arrives holding a No. 20 national ranking to take on the 15th-ranked Tar Heels, who are 58-0 all-time at home in the series.
“Clemson is coming in having beaten some good teams,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said Monday. “Probably the best team Brad (Brownell, the Clemson coach) has had in a few years.”
The 58 home victories without a loss in the series mark the longest home winning streak against an opponent in NCAA history. Princeton’s 52-game home hex on Brown ended in 2003.
In the Smith Center, North Carolina is 27-0 against Clemson.
The Tigers don’t have chances as often to put a halt to the streak because since ACC expansion they no longer make an annual trip to Chapel Hill. Clemson has visited in just two of the past five seasons.
On the surface, this is somewhat unusual because both teams are ranked for tonight’s matchup. North Carolina is 15-2 in the previous such encounters. The last time they were both ranked for a collision in Chapel Hill, it was a 94-70 romp for the Tar Heels on Jan. 21, 2009.
To Williams, the Tigers look more well-rounded than in the past.
“He has got five guys he can put on the floor who can all score,” Williams said. “He has got the full picture this year and they’re buying into more with what (Brownell) wants to do at the defensive end of the floor.”