CLEMSON — Clemson suffered no post-win hangover after beating the third-ranked Duke Blue Devils this past Saturday night. Instead, 48 hours later, the 23rd-ranked Tigers turned up the intensity and translated the momentum into a no-doubt, 85-65, victory over North Carolina.

Despite a quick turnaround, the Tigers knew they could not afford to come in sluggish, as a tenured North Carolina (14-11, 7-6 ACC) team was looking for a win and had the speed and shooting ability to give Clemson a struggle.

However, head coach Brad Brownell made sure to emphasize the importance of leaving the Duke win in the past and focusing on the task at hand.

“It helped that it was North Carolina,” Brownell said. “We certainly have a lot of respect for them and we know how hard they are to play against. But [the turnaround] was different and quick.

“We were very businesslike in our approach the last two days. We tried to get this right and you know our guys responded very well.”

The passion, momentum, or whatever ultimately fueled the Tigers was visible on both sides of the ball, and the energy in a sold-out Littlejohn Coliseum never slipped in the Tigers’ win. 

On offense, Clemson (20-5, 12-2 ACC) shot 32 of 64, or 50 percent, from the field and knocked down 12 three-pointers, three shots above their season average of nine per game.

Center Viktor Lakhin was responsible for a third of the Tigers’ three-point production, knocking down four shots from beyond the arc in the first 15 minutes of the game. He finished with 22 points for the second game in a row, a point shy of his season-high 23.

The Tigers did not find energy only from Lakhin’s blazing-hot shooting, however. Energy also came from hustle plays on defense, like guard Jaeden Zackery’s four steals and forward Ian Schieffelin’s six defensive rebounds that limited the Tar Heels to only 11 second-chance points.

Also on defense, in between his sharpshooting, Lakhin amassed five blocks, ensuring the Tar Heels had no chance to put up a shot or secure a backside rebound. For Lakhin, these plays are what kept up the momentum.

“Blocks get me going,” the seven-foot tall Russian native said. “It just gets me going, hustle plays to get the whole team going and we need those.”

The UNC win was a solid way to end the Tigers’ three-game homestand and a crucial victory for conference seeding, as the Tigers are currently in second place in the ACC standings, a half game behind No. 3 Duke. 

For Zackery, the UNC win served as a building block from previous wins that put the Tigers in the ACC race.

“We knew coming in after that Duke win that we couldn’t just settle and just be happy with that win. We have to keep building off that and that’s what we did today,” he said after his 16-point, seven-rebound performance against the Tar Heels.

Now, Clemson’s goal is to build on the foundation its has laid this season, especially in the last week, as the Tigers head to Tallahassee to take on Florida State for the second time this season.

Tipoff is set for noon on Saturday.