Clemson heads home after suffering an ACC loss at Miami, where the Hurricanes got red hot and looked like they have not taken any step back from last year’s Final Four run. Waiting for the Tigers is the ultimate blue blood of ACC basketball, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Like Clemson, the Tar Heels fell just short of the NCAA tournament last season finishing with 20-wins and rejecting an NIT invitation (something that no longer seems ridiculous after Clemson’s ridiculous loss to Morehead St.) They lost Caleb Love from that team, but return Armando Bacot, RJ Davis, and they’ve added Cormac Ryan — a fifth year senior who transferred from Notre Dame.
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Also like Clemson, UNC challenged themselves with six non-conference games against top 100 teams. They came out with victories against Arkansas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. The two teams appear improved from last season when the Heels ran the Tigers out of the Dean Dome with a 20-point loss. Now, they each find themselves inside KenPom’s top 25 with UNC ranked 11th and Clemson 23rd.
Armando Bacot may be the biggest name on Carolina’s roster and rightfully so as he leads the ACC in rebounding with 10.8 per game. Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin is behind him in second place with 9.8. Bacot also provides scoring and rim defense averaging 14.9 points and 1.9 blocks per game. He will provide a stiff challenge for Hall and Schieffelin in the paint.
As always, North Carolina has a talented guard who can score inside and outside the 3-point arc, RJ Davis. He is the ACC’s leading scorer at 21.1 points per game (yes, they have the league’s leading rebounder and the leading scorer.). He has an efficient .396 3P%, but also can attack from inside where he is likewise efficient. He is a focal point of the offense and leads the Heels in 3-points shots made and is only behind Bacot in 2-point shots made.
Beyond those two, SF/wing Cormac Ryan is an example of the rich getting richer in the transfer portal. Taken from Notre Dame, he is an savvy veteran who can knock down clutch shots in the biggest moments. He has struggled with his 3-point shot this year, but was one of the best players on Notre Dame.
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Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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Harrison Ingram is a junior post-player who gives UNC a big man duo that rival’s Clemson’s Hall-Schieffelin combo. All four UNC starters mentioned are veterans. The lone underclassman they start is Elliot Cadeau at point guard. He averages 7.0 points, 3.5 assists, and doesn’t provide much threat from the 3-point arc (4 3-pointers made). This is a matchup Clemson must win. Chase Hunter averaged 13.8 points last season, and is down 2.4 points from that. After a 5-game slump, he has scored 16 points in each of the last two games. A big game from Chase Hunter would go a long way in securing a victory.
Earning this victory is paramount. Clemson holds a rock solid 11-2 record, but they’ve lost their last two games against high-major competition (Memphis and Miami) with two “buy games” (Queens and Radford) sandwiched in-between. As football season ends, casual fans tuning in cannot be shown the same ole Clemson basketball that has tormented them for years.
I know the program’s histories are very different, but when I picked Clemson football to go 11-1 with a road loss to NCSU, I was berated for being negative. When Clemson basketball is 11-2, this is the negativity #Clemson fans spew. Its crazy! https://t.co/3D54eq5TfM
While Clemson fans tend to be endlessly positive towards the football program, history has taught them to guard their hearts whenever the basketball program shows signs of a potential downturn. Losing three-straight to high-major teams would definitely show that and be a big reason for concern.
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Conversely, if Clemson can host KenPom’s second ranked team in the ACC (Duke is first at #9 and Clemson is third at #23), they will have seen with their own eyes how this year’s Clemson basketball team is different. It would further prove that this team’s goal of not just making the NCAA playoff but advancing is feasible.
Clemson has great wins against Alabama, TCU, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, and Boise State, but this would be their best. KenPom slightly favors the Tigers giving them a 52% chance to win this game. Hopefully reserve wing Jack Clark can return and give the Tigers additional depth, but even without him this should be a close competitive game. Home court advantage matters way more than it seems like it should, and UNC has only played one true road game (a win at Pittsburgh). Clemson fans will turn out and help push the Tigers over the finish line in what should be a great ACC basketball battle. I like KenPom’s score prediction so I’ll share it here:
NC State and North Carolina usually battle for in-state recruits up to a certain point, but some consider both schools until the end.
NC State travels to play at North Carolina at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and this year’s contest has a twist. The Wolfpack will play against former teammates Joshua Harris, a 6-foot-4, 325-pound senior nose tackle, and senior safety Jakeen Harris, who have no relation to each other.
Harris is the starting safety and has 55 tackles, one tackle for loss and three passes broken up. Joshua Harris is on the second string and has 19 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 results for each game:
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Nov. 24 drawing
07-11-14-26-48, Lucky Ball: 15
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Nov. 24 drawing
Day: 2-7-2, Fireball: 8
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Evening: 8-0-3, Fireball: 9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Nov. 24 drawing
Day: 3-1-6-5, Fireball: 8
Evening: 6-9-0-6, Fireball: 9
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Cash 5 numbers from Nov. 24 drawing
02-12-20-22-29
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from Nov. 24 drawing
07-19-21-31-35
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
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For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:
Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.
When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Alyssa Ustby and Lexi Donarski scored 14 points apiece, and Ustby added 14 rebounds to lead No. 16 North Carolina to a 53-36 victory over Villanova in a semifinal game at the Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis on Sunday.
The Tar Heels (5-1) play Indiana in the championship game on Monday. The Hoosiers upset No. 18 Baylor 73-65 in Sunday’s first semifinal.
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Ustby made 6 of 8 shots from the floor with a 3-pointer for North Carolina on the way to her first double-double of the season. Donarski hit 6 of 10 shots with a pair of 3-pointers.
Maddie Webber led the Wildcats (4-2) with 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Lara Edmanson pitched in with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Tar Heels held Villonova’s leading scorer Jasmine Bascoe to two points after she came in averaging 16.6 per game. Bascoe missed all seven of her shots — three from distance — and made 2 of 4 at the free-throw line.
Ustby had seven points and Donarski scored five to guide the Tar Heels to a 17-7 lead after one quarter.
Donarski scored five more in the third quarter to help North Carolina turn a 30-18 lead at halftime into a 44-23 advantage heading to the final period.
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North Carolina shot 40% from the floor, made 5 of 17 from beyond the arc (29.4%) and 4 of 6 at the foul line.
Villanova shot 23.5% overall but made 5 of 18 from distance (27.8%) and 7 of 10 free throws.
The Tar Heels scored 15 points off of 21 Villanova turnovers. They turned it over 14 times but it led to only three points for the Wildcats.
North Carolina outscored Villanova 30-14 in the paint and never trailed.
___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
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