March Madness outlook: Tough draws await Clemson in NCAA Tournament

Behind a hot first half, the Clemson Tigers picked up a 71-62 win over Wake Forest in their ACC Tournament opener on Wednesday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

Clemson (23-9 overall) had a season-high nine 3-pointers at halftime for a 41-23 lead on the Demon Deacons (17-16). It was a much different start than when the two teams met three weeks earlier in Winston-Salem during the regular season, a game that saw Clemson fall behind 22-8 right out of the gate.

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The Tigers shot 50 percent from the field (16 of 32) in the first half. Four players had six points apiece at halftime: RJ Godfrey, Butta Johnson, Ace Buckner and freshman forward Dallas Thomas, playing in just his 19th game. Freshman Chase Thompson led the way with seven points.

Clemson held Wake Forest to 36 percent from the field in the first half and had a 19-15 edge in rebounding. They led by as many as 20 before Wake Forest cut the lead to single digits in the second half after outscoring the Tigers, 39-30, in the game’s final 20 minutes.

The biggest downside was that starting forward Carter Welling went down grabbing his right knee after a layup attempt near the end of the first half. Welling was clearly in pain and needed help walking off the floor.  He was ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime and did not return.

Godfrey finished with 11 points and eight rebounds to lead the Tigers in the win. Freshman forward Chase Thompson added nine points and three rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench. Johnson, Davidson, Buckner and Dillon Hunter finished with eight apiece.

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Next up for the fifth-seeded Tigers in Charlotte is a matchup against the fourth-seed North Carolina Tar Heels (24-7). Clemson and UNC are meeting for the second time in nine days. North Carolina won the regular-season contest, 67-63, on March 3 in Chapel Hill in a game that saw the Tigers compete for all 40 minutes.

North Carolina is ranked No. 19 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll; Clemson is unranked. A win over the…

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Publish date : 2026-03-12 17:28:00

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