North Carolina is a completely different team with senior guard Marcus Paige, who made his return against Maryland on Tuesday night.
The Tar Heels showed how much Paige matters to just about everything they do in a loss at Northern Iowa on Nov. 21. Paige is their de facto leader, their best long-range shooter, their best clutch scorer and also a guy who makes those around him better in a variety of ways. It often occurs just by his mere presence on the court.
Paige was sensational in his first game back, a 34-minute performance in which he finished with 20 points, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, in the win over then-No.