University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
February 5, 2014 | Men's Basketball
1. Another terrific second half for Marcus Paige, as the sophomore shot 5-for-8 in the final 20 minutes after hitting just 1-for-5 in the first half. Paige finished with 25 points and also found time to distribute seven assists. He also carried much of the free throw load late when the Terps were trying to foul and make a comeback.
Paige has some unusual first half/second half splits, but as long as he's producing in the crucial half, he's doing exactly what Carolina needs him to do. "Marcus was sensational in the second half," Roy Williams said. "He played his tail off."
2. Paige's slow start made Carolina's blistering beginning even more unexpected. The Tar Heels were up 19-3 before the crowd even got seated, marking the second straight game (they also led NC State 20-6) that they've raced to a big early lead.
3. Brice Johnson looked much more like his nonconference self than the tentative version who has played in some ACC games. His method was pretty simple--when he got the ball, he put it in the basket, finishing 8-for-8 and scoring 19 points to go along with seven rebounds.
He still has some room for improvement--he drew the ire of Roy Williams for failing to run back on defense after a dunk--but Tuesday night might have been the best conference performance of Johnson's young career. Perhaps not coincidentally, the strong showing came after Johnson had drawn major praise from Williams after Monday's practice. "He probably had the best practice of his life yesterday," the head coach said Tuesday night.
4. Credit the Tar Heels for cutting off Charles Mitchell's second chances. The burly Terp had five offensive rebounds in the first half, and there was a stretch when his second chances were Maryland's best offense, as they closed the deficit to single digits. But he didn't get another offensive board after that, and Carolina ultimately won the overall rebounding battle (40-32) in a matchup of the league's two best rebounding teams. The Tar Heels even found a way to get a handful of offensive rebounds against a Terp team that had been the most stingy in the league at allowing second chances, finishing with 11 offensive boards to just eight for the Terps.
5. That "ACC" chant that reverberated through the Smith Center late in the game sure did sound nice.
Adam Lucas is the editor of CAROLINA.
