TALLHASSEE — All looked normal in Clemson’s conference-opening loss to North Carolina on Dec. 30. This wasn’t football; the seventh-ranked Tar Heels had won the previous 57 matchups in Chapel Hill and were the heavy favorite over the Tigers, who hung with North Carolina but were ultimately outshot and outrebounded and lost, 80-69. Clemson closed out the month with a 3-4 record, staring down a rigorous conference stretch.
But the loss didn’t discourage Clemson Coach Brad Brownell, who watched as his players came together as a unit for the first time this season, trusted each other in a way they hadn’t previously and pulled within six points of the Tar Heels twice.