CHAPEL HILL – The UNC men’s basketball team took a quarter of action to get rolling before pulling away for a for a 31-point lead, 81-50.

There was some question as to which Tar Heels team would show up for Saturday’s home game vs. UNC Greensboro.

Would it be the Tar Heels that toppled two of the top teams in the nation in Louisville and Michigan State or the unit that struggled in disappointing losses to UAB and Belmont?

The Tar Heels answered in the affirmative midway through the opening half, building a 19-11 lead on a Marcus Paige jumper.

The Tar Heels went on to remove any doubt about the outcome from there, closing the half on a scintillating 25-3 run en route to an 81-50 win over the Spartans to improve to 6-2 overall.

Things turned so sour for UNCG that it had more turnovers (15) than points in trailing 44-14 at the break.

Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson chipped in with eight points each, while the Tar Heels defense stifled the Spartans with a suffocating man-to-man defense.

Johnson led the Tar Heels with 14 points in all, while James Michael McAdoo added 13 and Paige added 12 . Kyle Cain and Kayel Locke led UNCG with 13 points each.

UNCG (4-5) played better to open the second half, getting three baskets in the first two minutes including a Cain short jumper, but the deficit was far too big to overcome.

Nate Britt saw to that, completing a three-point play four minutes in to put the Tar Heels up 51-27.

James Michael McAdoo later put the Heels up by 30, at 63-33, with a successful drive to the basket with 8:30 remaining.

It was all Tar Heels from there and there would be little drama on this night.

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