Tar Heel Team on Same Paige

   Carolina squeaked out a narrow victory over a scrappy, determined NC State Wolfpack on Wednesday night on a shot in the last second of overtime, 85-84.

   UNC’s game with NC State reminded me of two different fictional scenarios.

• The game’s start brought “The Tortoise and The Hare” to mind.  This has been a reoccurring theme in UNC’s season: starting out sluggish, only to finish in a frenzy.  

• The game’s heated ending reminded me of “The Shootout at the OK Corral,” as Carolina’s Marcus Paige (35 points) and State’s T.J. Warren (36 points) gunned it out in the final minutes.

      
   The Tar Heels got out of the gate slow, scoring only 15 points in the first 15 minutes, as they fell behind by eleven, 26-15.  Carolina, however, battled back to make the game closer throughout the second half.

   UNC went ahead for only the second time in the game at the 7:00 mark of the second half, 53-52, on a J.P. Tokoto layup. The game would go down to the wire, as Warren, the ACC’s leading scorer, and Paige, Carolina’s go-to guy, would trade baskets right down to the last seconds of the game. 

   It was ironic that foul shooting, which has been UNC’s thorn in most games, eventually won them the game.  Warren hit two foul shots with 1.5 seconds in regulation to tie the game and send it into overtime. But then, with seven seconds left in OT, his miss at the foul line opened the door for the incredible ending.

   Marcus Paige, who scored an amazing 31 of his 35 points in the second half, looked more like a hare than a tortoise, as he took the inbounds pass, and being double- and triple-teamed, nevertheless streaked down the lane for a scoop layup with less than a second left on the clock to seal the Tar Heels victory and tenth win in a row.

   This game will probably go down as one of the most exciting games in Carolina history.  I know I'm going to keep it on the DVR at least for awhile.

Next Up :  Saturday at Virginia Tech,  &  Monday vs. Notre Dame