Mar 16, 2008 - 9:36 AM
0 shoutsClemson (24-8) vs. No. 1 North Carolina (31-2) 1:00 pm EDT
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) - The Atlantic Coast Conference championship game will feature one familiar team and a school that hasn't been there in 46 years.
Top-ranked North Carolina goes for its second straight title - and 17th in school history - when it faces third-seeded Clemson on Sunday.
The Tar Heels are in their conference-record 29th ACC final, while the Tigers are making just their second appearance - and first since 1962. Clemson has never won the ACC tournament.
Clemson snapped a 22-game losing streak to seventh-ranked Duke on Saturday, posting a 78-74 victory in the semifinals. Trevor Booker scored 18 points and Cliff Hammonds added 17 to pace the Tigers.
North Carolina survived its semifinal matchup, 68-66, over Virginia Tech as Tyler Hansbrough made the game-winning jumper with eight-tenths of a second remaining.
Hansbrough, the conference's Player of the Year, finished with 26 points.
"I just ran over to where Ty (Lawson) was going to shoot, and luckily, the ball had a good roll out to me," Hansbrough said. "I just caught it and let it fly, and I'm pretty glad it went in."
The Tigers and Tar Heels played a pair of overtime games during the regular season, with North Carolina pulling out both contests.
Wayne Ellington made a game-winning 3-pointer as North Carolina won, 90-88, at Clemson on January 6, and the Tar Heels rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to win 103-93 in two overtimes on February 10.
From the Bleachers
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CLEMSON: 81
NORTH CAROLINA: 86
Final
Mar 16 3:16 PM -
Clemson(22) 79, North Carolina(1) 85 2nd Half - 0:15
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Took away 24 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Mar 16 3:10 PM -
Clemson(22) 77, North Carolina(1) 81 2nd Half - 1:15
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Added 18 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Mar 16 3:02 PM -
Clemson(22) 76, North Carolina(1) 81 2nd Half - 1:41
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Added 21 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Mar 16 3:00 PM -
Clemson(22) 72, North Carolina(1) 77 2nd Half - 4:11
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Added 135 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Mar 16 2:52 PM -
Clemson(22) 68, North Carolina(1) 74 2nd Half - 5:45
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Took away 128 roots (Close Finish)
Mar 16 2:47 PM -
Clemson(22) 67, North Carolina(1) 72 2nd Half - 6:22
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Added 129 roots (Close Finish, Upset)
Mar 16 2:45 PM -
CLEMSON: 39
NORTH CAROLINA: 38
Halftime
Mar 16 1:51 PM
