Forest Score: Clemson wins 71-62, Welling exits before UNC
Clemson defeated Wake Forest 71-62 in the ACC Tournament opener at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, with starting forward Carter Welling grabbing his right knee and being ruled out at halftime. The forest score underlines a dominant first half — nine first-half 3-pointers and 50 percent shooting — that sent the Tigers into a clash that now pivots toward a meeting with North Carolina.
Clemson and Forest Score
Clemson built a 41-23 halftime lead after a season-high nine 3-pointers and 16-of-32 shooting in the first half, then held on for a 71-62 win over Wake Forest. The scoring burst included four players with six points apiece at intermission: RJ Godfrey, Butta Johnson, Ace Buckner and freshman Dallas Thomas, while Chase Thompson led the way with seven at the break. The pattern suggests Clemson’s hot first half created enough margin to absorb Wake Forest’s 39-30 second-half run and still finish ahead.
Carter Welling exits with knee
Starting forward Carter Welling went down grabbing his right knee after a layup attempt near the end of the first half, was clearly in pain, needed help walking off the floor, and was ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime. Godfrey finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, and freshman Chase Thompson added nine points in 19 minutes off the bench. The immediate implication is medical: whether Carter Welling can play against the fourth-seed North Carolina Tar Heels is an open, specific question for Clemson’s coaching staff.
Joe Lunardi projects No. 9 seed
Bracketology kept Clemson as a projected No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament after the 71-62 victory, with Joe Lunardi projecting a first-round pairing against the Utah State Aggies in the Midwest Region in Buffalo, New York. Lunardi’s path would pit Clemson against a projected No. 1 seed, coach Dusty May’s Michigan Wolverines, in the second round if Clemson advances. Sports analysts Matthew Glenesk and Erick Smith also see Clemson as a No. 9 seed, projecting a first-round matchup with the No. 8 seed Iowa Hawkeyes in the South Region in Houston. The figures point to a narrow margin for Clemson in March: seed lines place the Tigers in the middle of the bracket where a single win or loss could alter matchups significantly.
Next up for the fifth-seeded Tigers in Charlotte is a matchup against the fourth-seed North Carolina Tar Heels, who beat Clemson 67-63 on March 3 in Chapel Hill. North Carolina is ranked No. 19 in the Sports Coaches Poll while Clemson is unranked. If Clemson wins over the Tar Heels, the team would advance to the ACC Tournament semifinal and could improve its seeding ahead of Selection Sunday. Whether Carter Welling will be available for the game against North Carolina is unknown and is the specific roster question that will determine Clemson’s rotation for that contest.
