Harrison Barnes scored a career-high 40 points and collected eight rebounds as No. 1 seed North Carolina defeated Clemson, 92-87, in overtime to advance to the 2011 ACC Tournament championship game on Saturday afternoon in Greensboro, N.C.
UNC (26-6) will face the winner of No. 2 Duke and No. 6 Virginia Tech in the title game on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.
Clemson (21-11) led 38-28 entering the break, but the Tar Heels fought back and outscored the Tigers 45-35 in the second half to force an extra period. North Carolina put up 19 points while allowing 14 in overtime to secure its spot in the championship game.
Barnes, the ACC Rookie of the Year, set an ACC Tournament record for scoring by a first-year player. He made 12-of-17 field goals and 10-of-11 free throws for North Carolina, which shot 48.4% from the field. John Henson scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Tyler Zeller added 14 points and six boards for the Tar Heels.
Demontez Stitt had 25 points, four steals and four assists for Clemson, which made 33-of-66 shots (50%) from the floor. Milton Jennings chipped in with 16 points while Andre Young and Tanner Smith both scored 14 points. Devin Booker, the younger brother of former Clemson star and current Washington Wizards forward Trevor Booker, finished with nine points and five rebounds for the Tigers.
2011 ACC Tournament Schedule
Thursday, March 10 - First Round
#9 Miami defeats #8 Virginia, 69-62 (OT)
#5 Boston College defeats #12 Wake Forest, 81-67
#7 Maryland defeats #10 N.C. State, 75-67
#6 Virginia Tech defeats #11 Georgia Tech, 59-43
Friday, March 11 - Quarterfinals
#1 North Carolina defeats #9 Miami, 61-59
#4 Clemson defeats # 5 Boston College, 70-47
#2 Duke defeats #7 Maryland, 87-71
#6 Virginia Tech defeats #3 Florida State, 52-51
Saturday, March 12 - Semifinals
#1 North Carolina defeats #4 Clemson, 92-87 (OT)
#2 Duke vs. #6 Virginia Tech, 3:00 p.m.* ACC Network/ESPN
Sunday, March 13 - Championship
Championship Game 1:00 p.m. ACC Network/ESPN