UNC vs. Clemson - Player of the Game: Coby White

For the second straight game, Coby White is UNC’s player of the game. Like the rest of the team, he wasn’t without errors. One particular second half turnover led directly to a layup when it looked like the Tar Heels were on the verge of putting Clemson away. He also fouled way too early up three when the Tigers were bringing the ball up. There were some lapses.

However once again, Coby White came up huge. If it weren’t for him, this game ends up as a loss.

White led all scorers with 28 points on 9-16 shooting, going 6-11 from three. He also led the Tar Heels with five assists, while grabbing six rebounds and two steals.

Even though Clemson is a team right around the NCAA Tournament bubble, beating them by just two wasn’t what any Carolina fan would have hoped for. However, it could have been worse. The Tigers led for most of the first half. UNC’s deficit peaked around six points. At that point, White was pretty much the only thing keeping the Tar Heels in the game. He scored 14 of North Carolina’s first 19 points, and put up 17 in the first half in total.

The second half was a bit of a drop, even if he did lead UNC in scoring over that time. All five of his turnovers came in the final 20 minutes. Even with that, White did hit some big shots that helped the Tar Heels pull out the win. His three with 7:31 left put Carolina up by four, and capped off a run that had seen them erase a six-point deficit.

Other candidates include Cameron Johnson, who finished with 19 points. Luke Maye was quiet in the first half, but made some key shots in the second and finished with another double-double.

It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it’s over now and it was a win. Thanks to Coby White, UNC will now go to Boston College with a shot at a perfect ACC road record.