McAdoo breaks scoring drought

In his last four games, James Michael McAdoo had gotten away from what he’s grown accustomed to doing in nearly three years as a member of the North Carolina men’s basketball team — scoring the basketball.

After averaging 19.6 points in UNC’s first three games of the season, heading into Saturday’s 81-50 win against UNC-Greensboro, the junior forward had not ended a game in double figures since UNC’s 83-80 loss to Belmont Nov. 17.

And during his drought, McAdoo recorded a total of just 32 points while shooting 12-for-41 — just 29 percent — from the field.

“It’s definitely been affecting my game,” he said. “I feel like it’s just a part of the game. When you’re on, you can close your eyes and throw it up. When you’re off, it’s just how it goes.

“It sucks.”

In the first 12 minutes of Saturday’s game, McAdoo’s struggles to put the ball in the basket appeared to be everlasting. But after he missed his first four shots of the game, the 6-foot-10 forward said he didn’t fall into the here-we-go-again mentality, and instead he focused on other parts of his game while waiting for the shots to come.

And they eventually did.

In a 19-second sequence, McAdoo saw five points illuminated next to his name on the scoreboard in the Smith Center after aggressively getting to the free-throw line and cashing in on his first field goal of the night with his signature transition steal-and-dunk.

McAdoo added only one more point in the first half before tallying seven more in the second to end the game with 13 points.

The forward also recorded seven rebounds and three steals — one of the first statistics coach Roy Williams acknowledged when talking about his player’s performance after the game.

“I like three steals, his alertness,” Williams said. “I just don’t want James Michael to pressure himself — just be a basketball player and do the best you can do.

“If the shot’s not going in, become a better defender. And that’s one thing that I’ve got to get him sold on is just being a better defender and let the other things come to you.”

For sophomore guard Marcus Paige, McAdoo’s contributions to the team go far beyond the scoring column.

“He’s such a great teammate, he’ll do whatever it takes to win, whether it’s taking a backseat role for a stretch in the game or whether it’s being aggressive and trying to get to the free-throw line — he does whatever it takes,” Paige said. “And tonight, he was able to get to the basket, get to the foul line and knock down some free throws and those are the kind of things we like to see from him — when he’s slashing, when he’s hitting the boards, playing great defense.

“He had a good one tonight and hopefully we can get some more out of him.”

Despite a string of poor outings, McAdoo hasn’t let the games take a hit to his confidence. And though he’s bounced back with a coveted double-digit performance, the forward had things other than the 13 points on his mind after the game.

“It’s fine. It’s Christmas time. I feel great,” he smiled. “I’m loving life right now, excited for this somewhat week off, (to) finish these exams and get ready for Kentucky.

“So, see y’all there.”

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