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Off the cuff: Who knows what spurs on that sense of urgency that UNC coach Roy Williams talks about. The Tar Heels had it in wins over Michigan State and Louisville, for instance, but haven't had it in ACC matchups - until the Clemson game.

Perhaps this edition of the Tar Heels didn't want to be remembered as the team that lost at home to Clemson. Or maybe the team has turned the corner and will play with passion the rest of the season.

Coach Williams said that McAdoo set the tone that saw the entire team play with that sense of urgency. But he said he felt bad congratulating his team about that because that's the way you should always play the game.

Can't argue with that. The only thing I argue with Coach Williams about and something that really ticks me off is how he handcuffs his little-used players at the end of games.

For instance, James Manor, who is a walk-on senior that hardly ever gets to play, was on a roll sinking two three pointers. Yet he called off Manor, who was open for a three in the closing seconds of the game.

The game should be played from opening tip to the final buzzer, regardless of the score. There should not be kneel downs in basketball. If you are winning by a lot of points, you should put in guys who don't get a chance to play often and let them play to the best of their abilities. Don't tell a senior walk on that he can't try to score.

Coach, if you aren't going to let the walk-ons play, just leave the starters in and go to the Four Corners.

Tar Heels 80, Clemson 61
McAdoo sets tone as Heels whip Tigers

James Michael McAdoo, playing with an oft-mentioned sense of urgency, led North Carolina to its 57th straight home win vs. Clemson by a lopsided 80-61 score. (1/26)

McAdoo tallied 22 points, and would have approached 30 if he could hit free throws, in a much-needed victory for the Tar Heels, who improve to 2-4 in the league.

It seemed to be a perfect time for Clemson to break the Chapel Hill curse after 56 straight losses. Clemson had won five of its last six road games and the Tigers had a better record than Carolina.

But the Tar Heels led throughout, leading by 16 at the half and working the margin up to 31 in the second half.

In the first half, a Leslie McDonald three with just under seven minutes left gave the Tar Heels their first double-digit lead at 24-14. That started a 10-2 run that opened things up.

A tough UNC defense combined with just poor shooting by Clemson resulted in the Tigers scoring just six field goals in the first half.

It took the Tigers seven minutes to get their first field goal in the second half after Carolina had increased its lead to 31 at 54-23.

During that 17-2 run, Marcus Paige hit a pair of long three-point shots and McAdoo drove to the basket three times for six points (that would have been eight had he hit free throws as he was fouled twice).

The lead hovered between 26 and 31 for most of the remainder of the game until the last four minutes when Clemson went on an 18-8 run to make the final somewhat more respectable.

The only excitement for Tar Heel fans during the final stretch was seeing senior walk-on James Manor can a pair of three pointers. He may have had three but he was called off shooting it in the last seconds by the Carolina coaching staff.

Besides McAdoo, three other Tar Heels scored in double figures. Paige, with three triples, ended with 15 points while McDonald, with two threes, had 12 and Kennedy Meeks, making his third start of his freshman season, finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Tar Heels, 12-7 overall, plays at Georgia Tech Wednesday night. Clemson falls to 13-6 overall and 4-3 in the ACC.

Boxscore


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