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Maye was at his best once again against the Wolfpack.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: Seeing Red
February 6, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
When North Carolina visited NC State last season, Theo Pinson asserted that a Wolfpack player's disparagement of Luke Maye's athleticism prompted Maye's career-high 33-point outburst.
No such comments were made when the Tar Heels returned to Raleigh earlier this season. They weren't made Tuesday night, either. But in perhaps Maye's final game against NC State, he left his teammates grasping for answers as to why he's been so prolific against the Wolfpack, no matter if he's been provoked or not.
"You know how a bull gets mad when they see red?" Garrison Brooks said. "That's what I'm thinking. … He just comes to play."
That, Maye did in UNC's 113-96 dispatch of NC State, scoring a season-high 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting and tallying a game-high 12 rebounds. The double-double was his fourth straight against the Wolfpack. In that span, he's averaging 29 points and 13 rebounds.
Maye's 30-point performance also marked the fourth of his college career and his third against NC State. Although 14 Carolina players have scored 30 points against the Wolfpack 18 total times, he's the only one to accomplish that more than twice.
"If I knew (why Maye plays well against NC State), I'd get him to do that against everybody …" Roy Williams said. "He was very focused I thought today during shootaround. I thought he'd play really well tonight."
Anything else would've strayed from the precedent that Maye's set.
Just four weeks ago, Maye, from Huntersville, N.C., recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Tar Heels' win at PNC Arena. He said then that an in-state motivation existed when playing NC State. He reiterated that again Tuesday, also adding that he believes he creates mismatches against the Wolfpack's four-guard lineup.
"I think I match up pretty well against them," Maye said. "And just being an in-state kid, like I said over in Raleigh, I always get fired up to play in-state schools. That's kind of the mindset that I have and I need to carry that mindset over to every single game.Â
"But just being from North Carolina, it's definitely a little bit sweeter to beat a team from North Carolina. Just to have that under my belt going against NC State, there's nothing better."
Over his last four games against NC State, Maye has scored 116 points, the most ever by a UNC player in four straight games against the Wolfpack. Lennie Rosenbluth, who scored 106 points over a four-game stretch during the 1955-56 and 1956-57 seasons, held the previous record.
But in addition to continuing his success against NC State on Tuesday, Maye further removed himself from his outing against Georgia Tech last week.
Maye finished with a season-low four points in the win over the Yellow Jackets. He also committed five turnovers. Afterward, Williams told Maye that was the worst game he'd ever seen the senior play. Maye bounced back, though, with 20 points and 11 rebounds at Louisville on Saturday and then a second straight 20-point, 10-rebound game on Tuesday.
Before the Louisville game, Maye had scored 20 or more points three times this season. He registered 13 such games as a junior. But he said Tuesday that he hasn't changed his approach, nor will he.
"We've got a lot of guys who can score, and I've just missed some shots," he said. "I've been shooting the same shots that I've always shot and they just haven't gone in for me. I just continue to play my game and shoot the same shots over and over. At the end of the day, I'm a great player, in my opinion, and every time I shoot the ball I think it's going in."
That was never more evident than it was on Tuesday, when Maye matched Coby White's season high for field goals made by a Tar Heel with 10. At times on the bench, Kenny Williams tried to comprehend Maye's sensational play against the Wolfpack.
"I don't know what they did to Luke," Williams said. "Maybe it was in high school. But that man just comes out with a different mindset when he sees that red."
When North Carolina visited NC State last season, Theo Pinson asserted that a Wolfpack player's disparagement of Luke Maye's athleticism prompted Maye's career-high 33-point outburst.
No such comments were made when the Tar Heels returned to Raleigh earlier this season. They weren't made Tuesday night, either. But in perhaps Maye's final game against NC State, he left his teammates grasping for answers as to why he's been so prolific against the Wolfpack, no matter if he's been provoked or not.
"You know how a bull gets mad when they see red?" Garrison Brooks said. "That's what I'm thinking. … He just comes to play."
That, Maye did in UNC's 113-96 dispatch of NC State, scoring a season-high 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting and tallying a game-high 12 rebounds. The double-double was his fourth straight against the Wolfpack. In that span, he's averaging 29 points and 13 rebounds.
Maye's 30-point performance also marked the fourth of his college career and his third against NC State. Although 14 Carolina players have scored 30 points against the Wolfpack 18 total times, he's the only one to accomplish that more than twice.
"If I knew (why Maye plays well against NC State), I'd get him to do that against everybody …" Roy Williams said. "He was very focused I thought today during shootaround. I thought he'd play really well tonight."
Anything else would've strayed from the precedent that Maye's set.
Just four weeks ago, Maye, from Huntersville, N.C., recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Tar Heels' win at PNC Arena. He said then that an in-state motivation existed when playing NC State. He reiterated that again Tuesday, also adding that he believes he creates mismatches against the Wolfpack's four-guard lineup.
"I think I match up pretty well against them," Maye said. "And just being an in-state kid, like I said over in Raleigh, I always get fired up to play in-state schools. That's kind of the mindset that I have and I need to carry that mindset over to every single game.Â
"But just being from North Carolina, it's definitely a little bit sweeter to beat a team from North Carolina. Just to have that under my belt going against NC State, there's nothing better."
Over his last four games against NC State, Maye has scored 116 points, the most ever by a UNC player in four straight games against the Wolfpack. Lennie Rosenbluth, who scored 106 points over a four-game stretch during the 1955-56 and 1956-57 seasons, held the previous record.
But in addition to continuing his success against NC State on Tuesday, Maye further removed himself from his outing against Georgia Tech last week.
Maye finished with a season-low four points in the win over the Yellow Jackets. He also committed five turnovers. Afterward, Williams told Maye that was the worst game he'd ever seen the senior play. Maye bounced back, though, with 20 points and 11 rebounds at Louisville on Saturday and then a second straight 20-point, 10-rebound game on Tuesday.
Before the Louisville game, Maye had scored 20 or more points three times this season. He registered 13 such games as a junior. But he said Tuesday that he hasn't changed his approach, nor will he.
"We've got a lot of guys who can score, and I've just missed some shots," he said. "I've been shooting the same shots that I've always shot and they just haven't gone in for me. I just continue to play my game and shoot the same shots over and over. At the end of the day, I'm a great player, in my opinion, and every time I shoot the ball I think it's going in."
That was never more evident than it was on Tuesday, when Maye matched Coby White's season high for field goals made by a Tar Heel with 10. At times on the bench, Kenny Williams tried to comprehend Maye's sensational play against the Wolfpack.
"I don't know what they did to Luke," Williams said. "Maybe it was in high school. But that man just comes out with a different mindset when he sees that red."
Players Mentioned
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