CLEMSON — Not only did Clemson throttle North Carolina 85-65 on the hardwood on Monday night, but the Tigers did so in front of one of the best combo guards in the 2027 recruiting class.

5-star LJ Smith was in attendance for the beatdown, with the visit going about as well as it could have.

“It went well,” Smith told The Clemson Insider. “I loved it.”

Smith watched on as guards Chase Hunter and Jaeden Zackery had their way with the Tar Heels.

Hunter finished the night with 19 points, hitting on 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

Zackery turned in one of his better games in a Clemson uniform, scoring 16 points with seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

Smith saw exactly what a guard of his caliber could potentially accomplish in Brad Brownell’s system at Clemson.

“The coaches are awesome and the players are coached really well,” Smith added. “They play hard and make shots.”

Smith is currently averaging 33.7 points per game, tops in the state of North Carolina.

The 6-foot-4 prospect already has more than a dozen offers, with Kansas, Memphis, Georgia, Texas A&M, Wichita State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia being a few to have already pulled the trigger.

Smith ranks No. 29 overall in the 247 Composite Rankings and No. 3 among all combo guards. He is also No. 3 in the state of North Carolina.