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University of North Carolina Athletics
Best Games Of 2013-14: No. 8
July 9, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Continuing today and concluding on July 18, GoHeels.com will count down the top 25 games of the 2013-14 academic year. To catch up on the previous entries, click here.
No. 8: Carolina 85, NC State 84 (OT) - Men's Basketball, Feb. 26, 2014
After a roller coaster start to 2013-14, Carolina entered the season's second meeting with NC State looking to accomplish something never before done in the Roy Williams era at UNC—complete an undefeated February. Even the powerhouse national championship teams of 2004-05 and 2008-09 had February road stumbles against Duke and Maryland, respectively.
But when the Tar Heels made the short trip to Raleigh in the final game of February 2014, Williams' squad was riding a nine-game winning streak that included a perfect, 7-0 mark in the month.
NC State entered the game on a run of mixed results since a 14-point loss to UNC in Chapel Hill. The Wolfpack had won three of five, and one of the losses was a stunning, late collapse at then-No. 1 Syracuse.
Fueled by a combined 18 points from ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren and BeeJay Anya as well as 11 turnovers by the Tar Heels, NC State led 34-26 at the break and looked well on its way to a signature win for 2013-14.
What followed after halftime was one of the great individual efforts in the history of the series as well as one of the most compelling anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better showdowns ACC fans have ever seen.
By this point in the season, the second half Marcus Paige phenomenon was still developing into a storyline. The sophomore point guard had shown a tendency to catch fire in the second 20 minutes after starting games slowly, but the NC State game turned the quirk into an everyday talking point.
Paige had four points on 2-of-6 shooting and had missed both 3s he'd attempted in the first half in Raleigh. Before the Paige show could get started, however, it was Kennedy Meeks who pulled the Tar Heels back into the game early in the second half. The freshman forward had five points and two boards in the first seven minutes of the half, and Carolina was within one at 37-36 when he took a well-deserved seat on the bench.
NC State still led by six with almost 10 minutes gone when Paige finally got going. Starting with his 3 that made it 44-41 NCSU, Paige and the Tar Heels scored on eight of their next 11 possessions, with Paige accounting for 12 points on four 3-pointers during the stretch.
Not to be outdone, Warren scored 17 of NC State's 37 second-half points, including 16 in the final 10:20. In the final three minutes of regulation, every Paige scoring play (field goal or free throw) gave Carolina a lead. Every Warren scoring play pulled the Wolfpack even.
Overtime was more of the same. Warren scored six straight to start the extra period and NC State led 77-71. After missing his first three shots of OT, Paige scored eight points in less than two minutes to pull the Tar Heels within two at 83-81. A James Michael McAdoo layup tied it at 83 with under 30 to play, but Warren's free throw with seven second left had the 'Pack up by a point.
Of course you know what happened next.
Paige broke the hearts of the NC State faithful and wrote another chapter to what is becoming an ever-expanding legacy in Chapel Hill.
Previous Entries
No. 9: Carolina 27, NC State 19 - Football, Nov. 2, 2013
No. 10: Carolina 3, Duke 0 - Women's Soccer, Oct. 31, 2013
No. 11: Carolina Completes Road Sweep Of Duke And NC State - Women's Basketball, Feb. 10 and 16, 2014
No. 12: Carolina 11, Maryland 8 - Men's Lacrosse, March 22, 2014
No. 13: Carolina 4, Virginia 2 - Baseball, April 20, 2014
No. 14: Carolina 4, Duke 1 - Men's Tennis, April 26, 2014
No. 15: Carolina 1, Virginia 0 - Men's Soccer, Nov. 1, 2013
No. 16: Carolina 45, Virginia 14 - Football, Nov. 9, 2013
No. 17: Carolina 17, Maryland 15 - Women's Lacrosse, April 5, 2014
No. 18: Carolina 2, Connecticut 1 - Field Hockey, Oct. 26, 2013
No. 19: Henderson's All-America Run At NCAAs - Wrestling, March 20-22, 2014
No. 20: Carolina 5, Virginia 2 - Women's Tennis, March 8, 2014
No. 21: Carolina 3, Illinois 0 - Volleyball, Sept. 20, 2013
No. 22: Carolina 93, Louisville 84 - Men's Basketball, Nov. 24, 2013
No. 23: Carolina Men, LeHardy Shine At XC Nationals - Cross Country, Nov. 23, 2013
No. 24: Carolina Sweeps Rivals To End Home Schedule - Men's Swimming and Diving, Jan. 25 and 31, 2014
No. 25: Carolina 12, Virginia Tech 8 - Softball, March 2, 2014
