CHAPEL HILL, N.C. _ Even a career-day from Brandon Robinson couldn't save Carolina. The Tar Heels led by 11 late in the game, but turnovers and timely streaky shooting put Clemson back in the game. The Tigers pulled off the comeback, winning in OT, 79-76.
The win was Clemson's first ever at UNC. It snapped a 59-game losing streak.
The Tigers tied the game at 70 on an Aamir Simms 3-pointer, sending the game into overtime.
Robinson (27 points, four rebounds, four assists, four steals) gave UNC a three-point lead with a pair of free throws, but Simms (team-high 20 points) hit a 3 from the wing. That made up for a pair of missed free throws by Clyde Trapp that would have given Clemson the lead. Robinson was fouled and calmly hit both, but Simms knocked one through the net forcing overtime.
Roy Williams, as emotional as ever, told the media in his press conference that he forget to tell Robinson to foul a Clemson player.
"They are dribbling the ball across the 10-second (line) and I said, 'you didn't remind them to foul,' " Williams recalled, going over the conversation he had with himself in his mind. "I've had some great moments as a coach and I'd say that right now this is my lowest."
Williams took the blame for this one, but his players wouldn't let him off the hook that easy.
Robinson, the one senior starter, said he's been around the program enough to know what to do in that situation, regardless if Williams told them or not.
"I didn't lead, that's my fault," Robinson said. "It falls back on me, I've been here four years and I know that (to foul in that situation). I have to communicate that to the team. That's why a lot of this is my fault."
Garrison Brooks, who scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, his sixth double-double, also wouldn't let his coach take the blame.
"I respect it," Brooks said. "I understand what he meant, but the players didn't make plays. He wasn't out there turning the ball over."
The Tigers' first lead didn't come until the extra period and the cat and mouse game continued through the five-minute session, but Clemson sealed the game from the line, crushing an already deflated UNC team.
The Tigers outscored Carolina 12-2 over the last five minutes of regulation to get the win.
The Tigers, despite terrible shooting, got enough going to pull to within four 25-21, on a Tevin Mack layup. But Robinson answered on the other end with his second 3-pointer of the first half. Robinson followed that up with a pair of free throws to make it a nine point lead.
Robinson closed the half by scoring four in a row, putting him one point (19) shy of his career-high.
A 10-point deficit seemed like a much larger gap for the Tigers, who shot 34.5% from the floor, but cut it to single digits on two separate occasions in the final six minutes of the half.
Armando Bacot gave Robinson some help in the opening 20 minutes, scoring nine points, but Robinson did the heavy lifting, shooting 7 of 10 from the floor and 3 of 6 from 3.
The Tar Heels' defense was effective, forcing six turnovers in the first half, keeping them in front when the offense disappeared. UNC forced Clemson to go on a nearly four-minute scoring drought, and even when the Tigers went on their best run, Robinson made sure they stayed at bay.
After missing the first four games of the season with an injury, Robinson has come back strong. He's now scored in double figures in five straight games and eight of the 12 games he's played this year.
Bacot and Brooks chipped in more in the second half. After the first timeout, Bacot and Brooks scored nine of the next 10, with Andrew Platek chipping in with a layup. Brook's first layup of the second half pushed the lead back to 10, and gave him 11 for the game, his eighth game this season in double-figures.
Clemson, to their credit, kept chugging away, trading 3s for 2s with the Tar Heels. Tevin Mack, John Newman III and Curran Scott hit three in a row from deep to keep the Tigers within arm's reach, 56-51, with less than 10 minutes to go in the game.
Robinson didn't score his first basket in the second half until the 6:11 mark, knocking down a 3 from the corner to push the lead to 10. After a Clemson layup, Robinson hit another 3 from the corner, putting the Tar Heels up 11 with 5:03 remaining.
The Tigers battled back, making it a one-point game, 68-67, with 22.4 remaining. Leaky Black turned the ball back over to Clemson with 15.7 remaining, but junior Clyde Trapp missed a pair from the free throw line.
