WRALSportsFan
UNC Tops Clemson for ACC Title
By J. Mike Blake Mar 17, 2008
Charlotte, N.C. — Led by the 24 points from Wayne Ellington, North Carolina claimed its 17th ACC title on Sunday by defeating Clemson 86-81.
Carolina won in front of a crowd packed with light blue at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
“We had the fans. The fans were big today. We had like a hometown crowd out here,” UNC point guard Ty Lawson said.
Lawson was one of the main factors in the win. Looking as close to 100 percent as he has been since suffering a high ankle sprain Feb. 3, the sophomore point guard had 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
“I’ll give credit to Lawson and their really good guards,” Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. “Lawson’s penetration along with a couple of other guys certainly was our undoing.”
Coach Roy Williams said while Lawson performed better, he was still not as aggressive, comfortable or confident on the court as he was pre-injury.
“He’s got to get a lot better for us to reach the dreams that we have,” Williams said. “He’s got to get some confidence back. He’s a wonderful kid who wants to feel more comfortable, wants to get that confidence back. Hopefully he’ll be getting it more each and every day.”
The Clemson press did give Carolina trouble, forcing 20 turnovers, but the Heels kept attacking and were able to burn the full-court pressure for 34 points in transition.
“If you had to pick one word that I say to my team more than anything it would be ‘run.’ And I scream that all the time,” Williams said. “I really believe it’s very deflating for another team to score and then three or four seconds we score and they haven’t gained anything except their coach screaming for them to get back.”
While the Heels players sounded eager to play virtual “home games” for as many as four games the NCAA Tournament, with the potential for games in the RBC Center and in Charlotte, Williams was far more hesitant to rejoice or call it an advantage.
In 1995, when Williams was the coach at Kansas, his Jayhawks were a No. 1 seed and playing in Kansas City when it was bounced from the Round of 16 by Virginia.
“Since that time I’ve never been concerned about where we play. In 2005 we had two games in Charlotte and it was great because we played great,” Williams said.
“I don’t think it’s an advantage. I really don’t. I’ve never had a crowd win a game. I know it sounds wacko. But we lost two games this year – we were in the Smith Center. If the crowd was the factor we wouldn’t have lost any.”
The Heels led by as much as 13 in the second half after trailing at halftime, 39-38.
Clemson compiled a comeback that was stopped short when it missed three-out-of-four free throws in the game’s last 30 seconds. Clemson had shot free throws badly all year but actually converted in key situations in Saturday’s victory over Duke.
“We shot the ball poorly form the free throw line so it made it tough on us against the No. 1 team in the country,” Purnell said. “My congratulations to North Carolina, they are playing extremely well, they’ve got a lot of weapons, and I’m sure that they will do extremely well in the NCAA Tournament.”
K.C. Rivers had six 3-pointers for the Tigers en route to 28 points. It was the first time since 1962 that Clemson had advanced into the ACC title game. Clemson has never won the ACC championship.
Williams had drawn the ire of some earlier in the week when he didn’t back down from his “cocktail party” comment concerning the ACC Tournament. While Williams said he would always have “misgivings” about the tournament, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to come away with a title.
“You think about our 2007 team and what does everybody talk about? We lost to Georgetown. Nobody says ‘Yeah but they won the ACC Tournament,’” Williams said. “The ACC Tournament is a wonderful tournament but it’s not the same way as it used to be when there was only one bid …
“But if you tell me to play, by golly we’re going to play."
2008 ACC all-tournament team
First Team:
(MVP) Tyler Hansbrough, UNC
Wayne Ellington, UNC
K.C. Rivers, Clemson
Trevor Booker, Clemson
Marcus Ginyard, UNC
Second Team:
James Mays, Clemson
DeMarcus Nelson, Duke
A.D. Vassallo, Virginia Tech
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
Cliff Hammonds, Clemson
Copyright 2012 by WRAL.com and the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Most Recent Comments
it just humors me that unc people won't accept that they get preferential treatment. in fact, when they win they cry for even MORE fouls to be called for hansbrough (sorry clemson's big men blocked his shot and stripped him cleanly - we'll clean that up next time) even after he shoots 16 free throws.
Tyler plays hard. unc is a good team. they deserve to win. but don't bring this "they were fouling tyler! i seen it!" bullcr-p that you redneck unc fans always do. especially when he himself plays with reckless abandon yet has fouled out TWICE in three years
"Might not want to do that. Free throw shooting and lack of tournament experience = earlier exit."
Elmo, you might be right about Clemson's work from the stripe. You almost HAVE to pull Cliff Hammons in a close game, 43%, ouch. But remember none of the GaTech squad had any tourney experience either. They did have a good core of jrs and seniors, just like the Clemson squad does. I'm not putting them in the final four, but I am seriously flirting with elite 8. Hey some of your picks have got to be "off beat" otherwise its no fun! ;-)
from the sound of alley oops there is a sinister conspiracy to hep carolina every time they walk on the court. the refs are in on it, the scorekeepers are in on it, the time keepers are in on it. and there are black helocopters circling the area that are sending lazer infused brain waves. sounds stupid doesnt it???
alx
GOLO member since August 8, 2007
March 17, 2008 1:02 p.m.
Not as stupid as your spelling of H-E-L-I-C-O-P-T-E-R...
tarheelbaby29
DUKE fan here, passing out congrats to you guys... sorry to be so annoying...
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