CHARLOTTE – With a win over No. 19 North Carolina Thursday, Clemson won its first consecutive games in the ACC Tournament since 2008, when the Tigers most recently advanced to the Championship Round.

The victory ensured that No. 5-seed Clemson will play at least three games in three days, with a Wednesday win over Wake Forest, the North Carolina victory, and now, a chance to best No. 1 Duke Friday.

While the Tigers could play as many as four games in the ACC Tournament in as many days, they will get little rest afterwards, as the First Round of the NCAA Tournament will take place a few days later, beginning on March 19.

Still, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said after Thursday’s 80-79 victory at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., that the Tigers will not save up any energy for next week’s NCAA Tournament. For the Tigers, their focus right now is solely on winning the ACC.

“We’re pouring it all out,” Brownell said. “We’re doing everything we can to win every game. That’s what competitors do. You figure it out later, what’s next. That’s the essence of competition is you’re gonna give your best.”

In Wednesday’s win over the Demon Deacons, Clemson suffered a major loss when starting center Carter Welling suffered a mid-game ACL tear, leaving the Tigers without size, scoring presence, and with an added mental burden.

One day later, against a UNC team that recently defeated the Tigers, big-man Nick Davidson stepped up to give Clemson the ‘essence of competition it needed’ to win against a highly-ranked Tar Heels team.

“As you play better teams you have to give your best when your best is needed most,” Brownell said. “That’s what excellence really is.”

Excellence came in the form of Davidson’s first double-double in a Clemson uniform Thursday. The six-foot-10 forward came off the bench for the Tigers and recorded a team-high 17 points, along with 11 rebounds. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native knocked down four 3-pointers on perfect shooting en route to one of his best games of the season.

“Our hearts were a little damaged in the second half yesterday when we didn’t have Carter,” Brownell said. “Certainly today, that’s on our minds because this is the best time of year. Guys work so hard to get that opportunity, and so guys were playing really hard for him in some ways.”

With the ACC Tournament in full swing and March Madness opening in mere days, the Tigers could have an opportunity to play as many as eight more games, if Clemson finds a way to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament Rounds. In order for a run to take place, several players will need to make their impacts known.

And Thursday was a great start.

Along with Davidson, five other Clemson players finished in double figures. Point guard Dillon Hunter added 14 points, three assists, and five rebounds, while forward R.J. Godfrey finished with 13 points and guard Ace Buckner added 11. Guards Butta Johnson and Jestin Porter each had 10.

“Our main thing is defense and we play really hard,” Johnson said. “But when we get the offense going too, it is really hard to stop us. All of our guards played well tonight. Everybody was together on one accord, and with a couple men down we were able to step up and get revenge tonight.”

Clemson (24-9) will not have to wait long to get revenge again as the Tigers face off against top-seed Duke on Friday night. The Blue Devils knocked off Clemson in Cameron Indoor Stadium in February, but now, the Tigers have all the momentum.

Tipoff between the two teams is set for 9:30 p.m. Friday’s coverage will be shown on ESPN2.