Clemson can be a deep tournament team again: Just ask Duke and UNC

Chase Hunter and the Tigers hit 12 3-pointers in the win over UNC.

by Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Tue Feb 11 07:00:02 GMT-05:00 2025

As the students rushed the floor in Littlejohn Saturday, one item began to creep into Brad Brownell’s mind.

North Carolina was 48 hours away from tipping off on the same floor packed with jubilant fans, and the focus had to reset.

Brownell alluded to treating this stretch like the NCAA Tournament, with only a day standing between two massive opportunities.

If last March showed fans anything, this program has been there and done that. Any doubt of emotional hangover was wiped away instantaneously, as the Clemson offense went completely nuclear on North Carolina, dominantly securing win No. 20 this season.

Usually, the Tigers enter this conference clash as the hunters, looking at the Tar Heels as an opportunity to boost their resume. Monday night’s matchup flipped that script, with a struggling North Carolina team looking at Clemson as the victory that could reverse a season of woes.

Instead, the Tigers turned the Tar Heels into their prey, wiping away any uncertainty that complete focus would evade this group after the win over Duke.

With such an emotional game, Jaeden Zackery emphasized the importance of starting well, trying to control the opening minutes against the Tar Heels.

“Yeah, that was huge for us,” Zackery said. “That's been a big thing all season, kind of just trying to come out and start trying those first four or five minutes with the starters that are coming in, and that's been a big point of emphasis, and we knew coming in after that Duke win that we couldn't just settle and just be happy with that win. We have to keep building after that and that's what we did today.”

Entering Monday, the consensus would be to replicate the formula against the Blue Devils, given the much smaller Tar Heels' lineup.

Enter Viktor Lakhin.

In what was a career half from the Cincinnati transfer, he totaled 20 points before the break, nearly matching his total from his outing against Duke in half the time. Add five blocks into the equation, and you have a formula for a dominant performance.

His elite playmaking has come when Clemson has needed it most, flipping a switch from fouling out in triple overtime against Georgia Tech just last Tuesday.

Lakhin was 4-of-5 from deep, leading the charge for what was a three-point party in Littlejohn. The Tigers started 8-of-12 from three-point land, doubling their makes from the win over the Blue Devils.

If Lakhin started the onslaught, the Tiger backcourt certainly finished it. Chase Hunter and Zackery combined for 21 points in the blowout victory, continuing to complement each other incredibly well throughout the season.

Hunter knocked down three treys in the final 20, and Zackery notched four steals, leading to easy Tiger baskets. Zackery's ability to shoulder the defensive burden between him and Hunter, allowing the All-ACC guard to spend his energy on the offensive side, has continued to be a crucial aspect of Clemson’s success.

Brownell believes the pair has continued to complement one another well, being the perfect blend for what this team needs right now.

“Yeah, I think guys do a good job for the most part, just seeing what the game presents for us and not forcing things,” Brownell said. “Chase is going to be a little more aggressive with wanting to be. Jaeden especially probably does a really good job of that. When there's games that there's opportunities for him or places to drive or shots to take, he'll take 'em, but he's not hunting shots and that's good. You don't want your whole team hunting shots, and so I think he does a really good job of that. Obviously, they like playing together. I think you can see that, and they've just grown as the years gone by, they've really grown together and understand how each other play.”

As the students packed Littlejohn’s floor following the Duke win, the clock was ticking for a unique weekend that mirrored a tournament format.

If these results are any indication, it isn’t far-fetched to believe this Clemson team is made of the right stuff to go deep in the tournament for the second straight postseason.