In front of an electric, packed house at the Dean Smith Center on Tuesday night, senior point guard Marcus Paige returned to the UNC starting lineup and scored 20 points to help lead his No. 9 ranked Tar Heels past the No. 2 Maryland Terrapins 89-81.

Now a member of the Big Ten, Maryland made its first trip to Tobacco Road since leaving the ACC before the beginning of last year.

Paige and former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon tussle for the ball. (Todd Melet)

Paige and former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon tussle for the ball. (Todd Melet)

But the Terps came away empty-handed, as head coach Roy Williams’ team improves to 6-1 on the year, while Maryland will join the Tar Heels at 6-1–having just picked up its first loss.

“That had the feel of an old ACC Tournament game,” UNC head coach Roy Williams said afterwards. “It had the feel of an NCAA Tournament game. Just fortunately for us, it was in our building.”

Right from the opening tip, Paige played as if he was never gone with the broken hand that caused him to miss the season’s first six games.

He hit a three-pointer on the team’s second possession and almost completed an alley-oop from teammate Brice Johnson in the first half–before tossing it back up to Johnson, who slammed it home.

What he showed is that he’s clearly back to normal, as he also ended up with five assists and two steals to go along with his 20-point performance.

“I felt better than I thought I would,” Paige said. “I didn’t necessarily care about how many points I scored or anything like that, so I can’t say I played better than I thought I would. But my body felt better than I thought it would coming off of that break.

“I was worried about how I’d be conditioned because I only had one true practice of like full contact up-and-down.

In the understatement of the night, he also added that, “I think I handled it alright.”

The Tar Heels led for the majority of the first half–including by as many as 13–in a game where both teams shot above 50 percent, but combined for 37 turnovers.

In the second half, Maryland rallied behind its star sophomore guard Melo Trimble, who finished with 23 points and 12 assists.

His four-point play midway through the second half gave the Terps a 59-58 lead—but everything he did, Paige had an answer for down the stretch.

UNC sophomore wing Justin Jackson, who had nine points of his own, had an on-court view of the duel that took over the night.

“Sometimes great players just make big shots,” Jackson said. “In that second half [Trimble] came out and was just on fire. We were lucky to have Marcus on the other end hitting shots too.

“So going against a guy like [Trimble] showed that we really can play defense,” he continued. “Even whenever he’s getting his.”

Maryland fought back in the second half, but UNC was able to close the deal. (Todd Melet)

Maryland fought back in the second half, but UNC was able to close the deal. (Todd Melet)

Joel Berry started alongside Paige in the backcourt and contributed 14 points, while big men Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson combined for 28 points and 12 boards battling down low against Maryland’s hyped-up freshman center Diamond Stone.

But the real story of the game was Paige, and the way he was able to play at his peak—which didn’t seem to surprise his head coach one bit.

“If I’d had to bet, I would have said [Paige would] play very, very well because he was so anxious to play,” Williams said. “You don’t ever know because sometimes kids like Marcus are so conscientious and care, they put too much pressure on themselves.

“But, I had a feeling the little rascal would be pretty good.”

Photos from UNC vs. Maryland

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will return to action on Sunday at the Smith Center, where they’ll host the Davidson Wildcats–the alma mater of current NBA MVP Stephen Curry.

Game Notes:

  • Former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon, who transferred to Maryland after being dismissed by Coach K, hit five three-pointers and scored 18 points–but was booed each time he touched the ball.
  • The Tar Heels, not normally known for their perimeter shooting, went 9-of-13 from beyond the arc. Paige himself went 4-for-5.
  • Coach Williams, angered by Maryland’s second half comeback, took off his blazer with 15:45 remaining after a Sulaimon three-pointer tied the game at 53.
  • The game was part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

FINAL BOX SCORE