The Clemson men’s basketball team was unable to bounce back on Saturday, suffering a 91-71 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

After the Tigers (18-7, 10-4 ACC) came out to an early lead in the first few minutes, North Carolina took over and never looked back, gaining a 9-point lead at halftime and extending it even further in the second half.

The story of the game was 3-point shooting, where the Tar Heels (16-9, 8-6 ACC) flourished. North Carolina had 15 threes, shooting 45.5% beyond the arc. The Tigers only had seven 3-pointers, shooting 35%.

Leading the Tigers in scoring was PJ Hall, who scored 18 points, eight of which were the Tigers’ first points of the game. Chase Hunter also added 15 points to the scoresheet.

One of the most intriguing players for Clemson’s offense in the loss was Hunter Tyson. Averaging 16.1 points for the Tigers, the forward had 3 points, only shooting the ball twice. Those 3 points did prove to be important, however, as the fifth-year standout joined the 1,000-point club, the 44th player in school history to do so.

“I thought we did not do a good job of moving the ball,” head coach Brad Brownell said. “That probably kept him (Tyson) from getting some touches.”

The rebounding struggles continued for Clemson as well, as the Tar Heels outrebounded the Tigers 34-31, with 11 of those being offensive rebounds, which led to 11 second-chance points.

It’s a tough loss for the Tigers, who have now lost three straight games sending them out of the top spot in the ACC. It is also the worst loss for head coach Brad Brownell and his team this season.

With the NCAA tournament fast approaching, the Tigers’ recent struggles could potentially take them out of the discussion as a bubble team in March.

“It’s hard to go through a season and not have a bad week,” Brownell said. “We are not going to overreact.”

Looking ahead, Clemson will return to Littlejohn Coliseum to take on the Florida State Seminoles on Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST.