North Carolina Keeps Beat at Home Against Clemson

North Carolina has accomplished a lot in its 89 years of college basketball, with one of its most remarkable feats having nothing to do with NCAA tournament or Atlantic Coast Conference championships.

North Carolina won for the 45th time without a loss at home against Clemson as the No. 9 Tar Heels used a late 13-0 run to seal a 69-53 victory over the No. 14 Tigers on Saturday.

“I’ve only been around for the last four, but four seems like an eternity to me,” Clemson senior center Tom Wideman said. “We come in every year feeling pretty good about the game and for one reason or another we weren’t able to get over the hump.”

This time it was 15 turnovers and three-for-19 three-point shooting that did in Clemson, which is 11-3 overall and 0-1 in the ACC.

Ademola Okulaja led North Carolina (13-3, 1-1) with 19 points. Ed Cota had 13--making three three-pointers in the second half.

Harold Jamison had 17 points and 12 rebounds for Clemson.

“For me, it is really painful, but we still have 15 games left in the ACC,” Jamison said. “It puts a little dent in my senior season, but it can’t stick too long.”

Said North Carolina Coach Bill Guthridge of the streak that started in January 1926: “It’s going to end sometime, we know. Clemson has had a lot of good teams. It’s not something we talk about.”