0-fer over as Clemson gets first-ever win at UNC
Clemson upsets North Carolina in overtime, snapping a D-1 record 59-game road losing streak to a single opponent and improving to 1-59 all-time in Chapel Hill. (1:20)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Aamir Simms hit an overtime-forcing 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in regulation and Clemson went on to erase decades of futility at North Carolina by beating the Tar Heels 79-76 on Saturday, earning their first win in 60 tries in Chapel Hill.
Simms finished with 20 points for the Tigers (8-7, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who trailed by 10 with a little more than two minutes left in regulation. But Clemson made a frantic comeback to force the extra period, then came up with enough key baskets to do what no other predecessor had done in school history: walk off the court in Chapel Hill in celebration of a win.
Simms added a critical driving basket with 18.1 seconds left in OT, then the Tigers got a final stop when Garrison Brooks and then Brandon Robinson both missed tying 3-pointers on the final possession.
When Robinson’s missed at the horn, Clemson players ran to midcourt to celebrate, while John Newman III ran to wrap coach Brad Brownell in a huge hug on the sideline.
Meanwhile, Robinson laid on the court after his miss, capping a day that saw him go for a career-high 27 points but come up a shot short.
After the game, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams told reporters that he forgot to tell his players to foul when up three points as time was winding down.
“Had some great moments as a coach. Right now this is my lowest one,” Williams said according to the News & Observer. “Losing this game is my fault. If I die tomorrow or 20 years from now, that’ll be my biggest regret as a coach. These kids really needed a win.”
UNC (8-8, 1-4) came into this one 59-0 against Clemson all-time in Chapel Hill for the longest home winning streak against one opponent in NCAA history. That included 28-0 in the Smith Center, UNC’s campus arena that opened in January 1986.
The win leaves Williams tied with late mentor Dean Smith for fourth on the Division I men’s career coaching wins list with 879 victories since the Tar Heels beat Yale on Dec. 30.
The Tar Heels were without Cole Anthony, their top player, for a seventh straight game following new surgery and freshman point guard Jeremiah Francis didn’t play due to left-knee soreness.
Williams said Friday he doesn’t say much about the streak with his team beyond noting it has to end at some point and the goal should be to “try to put it off another year.” But now, that run is over.
At 8-8, this is the latest into a season UNC is .500 or worse since it was 16-16 in 2009-10. The Tar Heels led by 10 at the half, making this the largest halftime lead they’ve blown at the Smith Center since 1997, when Maryland erased a 12-point halftime deficit.
The longest active home court win streak by one opponent over another now belongs to Syracuse, which has won 38 consecutive home meetings vs Colgate.
Information from The Associated Press and ESPN Stats & Information was used in this report.