In-and-out it goes — taking UNC’s chance of sending the game into overtime with it, as the ball harshly hits the floor.
Paige sinks to the ground, his hands on top of his head, displaying his frustration with what could’ve been.
“I got a clean look. It was a little out further than we would’ve liked, but I got a clean look at the basket, it just rimmed out,” he said.
“That was designed. We ran it exactly the way it was designed … I thought it was in.”
So did most of the 17,143 fans in the building.
But a sloppy game full of miscues and a lack of intensity had ultimately put the Tar Heels’ chance at a comeback out of reach.
“I’m not very pleased. I’m not very pleased with our intensity, with our effort, with our concentration,” coach Roy Williams said.
“I am not happy guys. I am not in the dadgum Christmas spirit, if you ain’t figured that out.”
His frustration was merited.
His team had shot just 51.1 percent from the free-throw line — well below its 61.1 percent season average. It had been outrebounded 51-42 by Rick Barnes’ physical Texas squad, and it had converted 12 Longhorn turnovers into just four points.
Though Paige led all scorers with 23 points and was 8-for-8 from the charity stripe himself, he struggled to wrap his head around his teammates’ woes at the line.
“I don’t know what to tell you. Free throws are pretty independent events. I practice a lot — shoot a lot of free throws everyday and they go in,” he said.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
“Maybe guys need to shoot more in practice, but at the end of the day you just gotta knock them down.”
Williams echoed similar feelings of frustration.
“I’m tired of talking about free throws,” he said.
“You just gotta be tough enough to step up and make the dadgum thing.”
The Tar Heels only led once, when redshirt senior guard Leslie McDonald knocked down his first of four 3-pointers with 12:50 remaining in the first half. McDonald was sidelined until Wednesday due to NCAA eligibility issues stemming from his involvement with a mouth guard company. UNC spokesman Steve Kirschner read a statement from Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham, in which Cunningham wrote junior guard P.J. Hairston would have news for the public later in the week.
Regardless of how pleased Williams was with his team’s efficiency from behind the arc, and regardless of how excited he was to see McDonald take the court again, his plan moving forward is simple.
“If you want to really know how ticked off I am, I have told them we’ll be practicing at midnight tonight and told them they better check the NCAA rules,” he said.
“We cannot practice until 5 a.m., and everybody’s ass will be here at 5 a.m. this morning. Everybody’s whole body will be here.”
Junior forward James Michael McAdoo — who fouled out after scoring 11 points and grabbing only two rebounds — said the 5 a.m. practice will definitely be something new to him.
“It’ll be an experience.”
He paused.
“An experience — y’all enjoy your sleep tonight.”
