The Clemson Tigers and the North Carolina Tar Heels look like the best teams in the ACC. While the Clemson have an 11-1 record, the UNC have a 9-3 tally. The critics are divided over who could win the ACC Championship. The Clemson have defeated teams like the Alabama and the South Carolina, while the North Carolina have upended major teams namely the Arkansas, the Oklahoma and the Tennessee.

A much deeper analysis can be done when looking at their stats and that might help us understand which team deserves the best team in ACC title. 

How have the Clemson and UNC performed?

Just going by the stats, the three top players for the North Carolina have been RJ Davis, Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram. Whereas for the Clemson Tigers, the exceptional performances have come through PJ Hall, Joseph Girard III, and Chase Hunter. The structure with the starting five is more or less the same in terms of points. The North Carolina have a reckoning starting four while the Clemson have three players at the top in terms of scoring. Beyond the fourth player for the UNC and third player for the Tigers, the scoring averages drop below double digits.

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They have more or less the same strategy of relying on their alpha whereas the other players support him. This lack of much difference is the root cause of a divisive opinion regarding the two.  In terms of defending the two teams are more or less the same in terms of stats. While Bacot leads the UNC with 10.8 rebounds per match, the Clemson’s forward Ian Schieffelin has nabbed 9.7 rebounds per contest. 

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Another stat that almost makes them difficult to spot and separate is their assists tally. While for the Clemson their guard Joseph Girard III has 3.7 assists per outing, the UNC’s assist is lead by their guard Elliot Cadeau who again has the 3.7 assists per game. Till now the teams look at level with each other. Hence, it is necessary to analyze their game styles and that will paint a better picture regarding who is more dominant in the ACC. 

How are their playing styles?

While a few recommend that the Clemson would clinch the ACC Championships, others prefer the UNC over the former. The Clemson have performed exceptionally well riding on the back of their center Hall. Hall leads the Clemson in three tallies – points scored, steals average and blocks average. Hall has basketed a team high of 20.5 points per game with 1.2 steals per match and 2.4 blocks per contest. His impact in every game has been outstanding.

What helped the Clemson is that they are an extremely physical team. It was quite evident especially during their game against the Alabama Crimson Tide when they won the game by an 85-77 margin. The Alabama is considered to be one of the fastest team in the country. The Clemson however slowed them down with help of their formidable guards Joseph Girard III and Chase Hunter. The duo stopped the Alabama in their tracks and the Clemson leveraged the advantage of being a physical team with ease.

This might also mark the first time in the program’s history that the Clemson are deeper than the UNC. The UNC seems to be in trouble whenever their guard Paxson Wojcik comes to the hardwood. Unfortunately, Wojcik has only been able to pot 2.3 points per match in the 12 games he has played so far. The interesting fact is that he has played all 12 games hence it is always dicey to play someone who has a not so good record.

Whereas what falls in place for the UNC is that despite PJ Hall being a top scorer for his team, RJ Davis leads the group in terms of points scored in the ACC. While Hall has a remarkable 229 points, Davis has an efficient 259 points. Thus the UNC have the best scorers. Davis also justifies the tag of the most explosive scorer in ACC and he has let off some pressure from their forward Armando Bacot. Their forward Harrison Ingram has added the ability to have different lineups in the team. With him, the UNC can play the four or go small. He has provided the impetus for them to choose agility over height. 

With so many facts leveling the two, does it mean that both of them are equal?

Who’s better – UNC or Clemson?

Though the UNC aren’t deep, they have a lot of potential in their forward Jalen Washington who can transform into a good player as the season progresses. Washington has a great style and hand size that would definitely be advantageous with the ongoing season.

Countering the bench strength angle of the Clemson, there is another brilliant player in the UNC’s guard Seth Trimble. While Trimble does not do much scoring wise, he can have a lot of impact defensively.  The North Carolina need him because they rely on traditional tactics of running and high-scoring games. Under such circumstances, Trimble can unleash his swift moves and block the opponents’ athletes.

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The Clemson will battle it out against the North Carolina on 6th January. It will make things between them pretty clear as to who will win the matchup and prove to be the reigning team in the ACC. However, going just by looking at things on the paper, the Clemson have a better 11-1 record and look to have a considerable bench strength. Therefore, they might be the better team as for now on paper. However, only a matchup will reveal the actual position of both the teams.