(AP) -- No. 8 North Carolina beats Clemson 74-52
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Harrison Barnes scored 24 points to help No. 8 North Carolina beat Clemson 74-52 on Saturday. Tyler Zeller added 14 points for the Tar Heels (23-4, 10-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who extended the Tigers' long run of futility in Chapel Hill. North Carolina improved to 56-0 all-time here against Clemson (13-13, 5-7), which is an NCAA record for the most consecutive home wins against one opponent. The Tar Heels didn't look particularly sharp in this one, yet they weren't in any serious danger of fumbling away that long winning streak against the Tigers, either. North Carolina led by 15 points in the first half and never let Clemson closer than six in the second half before blowing it open late.
John Henson added 13 points for the Tar Heels, while Kendall Marshall had 13 assists. Andre Young scored 13 points to lead the Tigers, who shot 38 percent. With the win, the Tar Heels kept pace with No. 20 Florida State in a tie atop the league standings. The Seminoles won 76-62 at North Carolina State earlier Saturday, while fifth-ranked Duke can make it a three-way tie again by winning Sunday at Boston College. North Carolina shot 49 percent, finished with a 39-26 rebounding advantage and went ahead for good midway through the first half. But coach Roy Williams frequently looked flustered by his team's cruise-control demeanor for much of the second half, too. In fact, Clemson pulled within 47-41 when Tanner Smith knocked down a 3-pointer then followed with a layup in transition at the 12-minute mark. But the Tigers came up empty on four straight possessions with a chance to cut into the lead even more - three of those were turnovers - before Henson scored inside to end that opportunity. By the time Barnes hit a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock with 90 seconds left, UNC led 72-50. And there were soon the familiar chants of "You can't win here!" coming from the Smith Center stands. Williams had waved off fans from continuing that cheer in past years. This time it was Marshall, who had already checked out of the game for the afternoon with the victory in hand.
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