Tar Heels Dominate Bickering Tigers, 87-69 |
CLEMSON - North Carolina's worst season in recent memory received something
of an unexpected boost Sunday night, while Clemson's psyche appears dangerously close to the breaking point. The Tar Heels, mired in eighth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference coming into Sunday's game at Clemson, jumped over the Tigers into seventh with an impressive 87-69 victory. The 18-point final margin was somewhat deceiving. North Carolina led by as many as 26 points late in the second half before spreading the floor and running clock, and also giving up several easy baskets against the Tigers' press in the waning moments. The Tar Heels most recent trip into Littlejohn Coliseum proved to be therapeutic, a direct contrast to their last visit. In Feb. 2001, North Carolina was No. 1 in the country and riding an 18-game winning streak when it was ambushed by Clemson on a Sunday evening. No such luck this time for the Tigers (11-10, 2-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), who began the week with aspirations of a .500 league record and ended it with a pair of disappointing losses. Worse, head coach Larry Shyatt said afterwards that heretofore unseen internal problems surfaced during the game, problems which he said caught him completely off guard. "I've got to be honest. Not taking anything away from Carolina, because at times they were brilliant, but this was all us," Shyatt said. "(The internal problems) had never surfaced before. We will get those fixed. But we didn't cover for each other offensively or defensively. This was our inability to get along." Shyatt refused to be specific about what transpired during the game, however it could involve at least guards Tony Stockman and Ed Scott. At one point early in the second half the two had words on the floor when Stockman pulled up for a 3-point attempt in transition with Scott open in the right lane for a possible layup. Scott appeared irritated at Stockman's shot selection, and openly questioned his running mate near midcourt during a stoppage in play. Both players spent time on the bench in the second half, however the brief argument did not appear to be the reason. Shyatt said his players have been instructed not to discuss the issue, but promised the matter would be handled "by the family." "It's not something I'm proud of, but something I'm responsible for," he said. "I like these characters, they're wonderful people. But there's something there...family takes care of family and works things out. And we will." North Carolina (6-11, 2-5) did most of its damage from the guard spots. Starters Adam Boone and Melvin Scott combined for 40 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and just one turnover. Boone's 23 points and Scott's 17 both were career highs. Boone also set a career best with four 3-pointers, all in the first half, including one that banked in from the right wing. "We deserve some breaks. We've been through a lot this season," said UNC coach Matt Doherty, whose team snapped a six-game losing streak. "There's relief, joy, pride...a lot of emotion in that locker room. I'm proud of these guys...a lot of teams would have folded in this situation." Jamar McKnight led Clemson with 21 points, the only Tiger to reach double figures. Clemson, now losers of five straight, has six days to prepare for No. 1 Duke's Feb. 2 visit to Littlejohn. With the revelation that something isn't right internally, Shyatt - and his team - would appear to be at a crossroads. "That's a great way to phrase it," Shyatt said. "We've got a great opportunity with eight games and the (ACC) tournament, and that's the way I've always looked at it. We can be the team most talked about because we've made the most improvement and we're really growing. "But nobody's gonna feel sorry for you."
North Carolina (6-11; ACC: 2-5) 45 42 87
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