Sports

Clemson Basketball Pettily Trolls In-State Rival After Blowing Out North Carolina

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Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell on the sidelines.

© Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK


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The Clemson basketball team knocked off ACC foe North Carolina in blowout fashion on Monday night. The Tigers dominated the game from start to finish, leading for the final 29 minutes of action.

Brad Brownell’s bunch led by as many as 26 points in the 85-65 victory. After the fact, they trolled two rivals.

Clemson’s now taken down Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina in the 2024-25 season. They believe blue blood status is warranted as they look to make another deep NCAA Tournament run.

The Tigers made it to the Elite Eight last season before falling to Alabama. The group seems poised to make some more noise this March after a 12-2 start in ACC play.

But North Carolina wasn’t the only team on Clemson’s mind when the final buzzer sounded. The social media department took the opportunity to troll in-state rival South Carolina, too.

The team posted a graphic showing the score alongside a caption that read, “Beat Carolina: check.”

“Carolina” is the operative word there. It wasn’t “North Carolina,” which seemed calculated given the school’s longstanding rivalry with the Gamecocks.

Dabo Swinney was on hand for the Clemson basketball win.

The football coach has a part in this “Carolina” beef. Before winning a pair of national titles with the Tigers, Swinney found himself on a five-game losing skid to Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks.

Comments from radio personality Todd Ellis sparked a patented Swinney rant in which he minimized his rival and its history on the gridiron.

“There’s a lot of rivalries out there. This is more of a domination,” he said of Clemson’s large lead in the all-time series. “That’s why Carolina is in Chapel Hill, USC is in California, and the university in this state always has been and always will be Clemson.”

The Tigers’ social media team made sure to revive that quote with its “Carolina” jab, which was fitting given Swinney’s attendance. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite land with South Carolina grabbing the head-to-head win on the basketball court earlier this season.

Still, the two teams’ seasons have gone in vastly different directions since that matchup. Clemson’s won 12 of its last 14 games since the loss. The Gamecocks have gone just 2-10.

The Tigers continue to improve their NCAA Tournament resume with wins over blue bloods. They’ve successfully swept the state of North Carolina with wins over Wake Forest, NC State, Duke, and the Tar Heels. Next up is Florida State on Saturday afternoon.