CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Just outside the tunnel at Spectrum Center, Clemson basketball guard Justin Porter handed Carter Welling a sticker with the Clemson logo.
The gesture is a staple of the ACC Tournament and signals a team’s advancement in the tournament. No. 5 seed Clemson did the same, beating No. 4 North Carolina 70-69 on March 12 to advance to the ACC Tournament semifinals for the second consecutive season.
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The Tigers (24-9) will face No. 1 seed Duke (30-2) on March 13 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2). The winner will face No. 2 Virginia or No. 3 Miami in the ACC Championship on March 14 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Waring, the team’s second-leading scorer, top rebounder and top shot-blocker, did not play after tearing his right ACL a day earlier against Wake Forest. His season is over, meaning he will miss any games Clemson plays in the NCAA tournament.
“It hurt our hearts a little bit in the second half (against Wake Forest) when we didn’t have Carter,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “Certainly, today, it’s on our minds because it’s the best time of the year… I think, in some ways, guys played really hard for him.”
Clemson’s wounded heart was temporarily healed when Wheeling placed the team’s logo on the ACC Championship bracket, with teammates chanting “C Dub.”
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“It was awesome. He teased it a little bit and just put it out there,” Clemson linebacker Ace Buckner said. “We have to do it twice more, though.”
With multiple contributions, Clemson won its second consecutive ACC Tournament game for the first time since 2008. The Tigers had six players score in double figures, led by forward Nick Davidson, who had a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
Davison took over for Wheeling on the 3-point shooting and rebounding plate against UNC (24-8), hitting four 3-pointers to help Clemson make nine 3-pointers and secure a season high in rebounds.
“What a serious injury it is, he’s such a big part of our team,” Davidson said. “Our motto has always been ‘all the time,’ so tonight, I just happened to be the one to step up.”
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More: Carter Waring injury update, Clemson basketball center out for season with torn ACL
Nevada transfer guard Dillon Hunter played a crucial role against the Tar Heels, as the two combined for seven free throw attempts. UNC cut an 18-point second-half deficit to one point in the final two seconds of the game.
Davidson missed two free throws to give Clemson an 80-79 lead, but North Carolina’s Jalin Stevenson missed a three-pointer and the Tigers survived.
Now, Clemson is chasing two more postgame moments with Wheeling to secure the program’s first ACC tournament title.
“Every time we win a game, we give it to Carter and he puts it out there,” Porter said.
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Derian Carter covers Clemson athletics for the Greenville News and USA TODAY Network. Please email DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter), @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared in The Greenville News: Clemson basketball beats UNC in ACC tournament without Carter Welling
