Written by Will Warren
Nick Davidson delivered one of his most efficient performances of the season Thursday night, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead Clemson to an 80-79 ACC Tournament quarterfinal win over North Carolina. While the stat line impressed, Davidson credited the Tigers’ trust and chemistry for carrying them through a tense finish.
Davidson recorded the 12th double-double of his career while shooting an impressive 83.3% from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the 3-point line. His production came at crucial moments as Clemson answered several late pushes from the Tar Heels.
Despite North Carolina making all five of its field goal attempts in the final 90 seconds, Davidson said Clemson never allowed the moment to waver its composure.
“In moments like that, the chemistry goes up. I mean, it’s huge,” Davidson said. “We weren’t affected by those amazing shots that they were hitting, although I felt every one of them. Which shows a lot of character and grit and trust in one another.”
That trust was evident in the closing seconds. Instead of forcing or rushing a play, Clemson relied on its execution and confidence in each other to find the right look.
“Butta (Johnson) was getting the ball out with like three or four seconds.” Davidson said, “A lot of people could pull the trigger and call a timeout real quick, but he trusted one of us to get open and found us.”
Clemson’s togetherness has been especially important this week after center Carter Welling suffered a season-ending ACL injury earlier in the tournament. Davidson acknowledged the emotional weight of losing a key teammate but emphasized the team’s “everybody all the time” mentality.
“Coach said it right — our hearts go out to him, what a terrible injury and what a big part of our team,” Davidson said. “But our motto’s always been everybody all the time, so tonight I just happened to be the one that stepped up, and I’m glad it resulted in a win.”
For Davidson, the performance reflected his belief in how special the group has become and in the Tigers' collective response in moments of adversity.
“It means a lot to win a game like that,” Davidson said. “We can compete and beat all of the best teams in the country.”
As Clemson continues its ACC tournament run, Davidson said that maintaining momentum and finishing halves strong will remain a key focus.
“One of the main momentum things is going into halftime on a good note,” Davidson said. “Leaving the last thing positive on the court.”
With the win, Clemson advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinal, where the Tigers will face No. 1 seed Duke at 9:30 p.m. Friday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The game will be televised on ESPN2.