Tar Heels book a rematch with Louisville with win over Boston College

GREENSBORO — It’s a stark contrast from the Brice Johnson four days ago — the one that quietly sat alone in the North Carolina player's lounge, lamenting an 84-77 loss to Duke on Senior Day. That Brice Johnson had his head down with very little to say.

But today, Wednesday, this Brice Johnson has a grin that stretches across his entire face. The junior forward, who scored 17 of North Carolina's 81 points in an 81-63 win over Boston College in the second round of the ACC Tournament, is laughing. One of the UNC trainers is making protein shakes in a noisy blender behind him and Johnson can't keep a straight face as he engages with the media.

Wednesday's win wasn't a flashy one — in fact at times, it was quite sloppy, as UNC missed easy shots under the basket and turned the ball over on bad passes. But an excited Johnson knows the victory represented something bigger than numbers on a scoreboard. First, it meant UNC (22-10) made it past its opening game of the ACC Tournament — something it couldn't do last year in a loss to Pittsburgh. 

"(Last year) was a disgrace. It was (distasteful), it was just bad," Johnson said.

Second, it meant UNC secured itself another date with Louisville, the team the Tar Heels beat by one in Chapel Hill but lost to in overtime in Kentucky after holding a double-digit lead.

"You don't get many opportunities in March," said junior guard Marcus Paige who also had 17 points. "You've got to take advantage."

The Tar Heels did take advantage over Boston College (13-19) Wednesday, holding the league's leading scorer Olivier Hanlan to a 5-for-19 performance from the field.

The last time the two teams matched up at Boston College, Hanlan torched the Tar Heels for 30 points and shot 50 percent from the field.

"You've got to keep things in perspective. He plays 38, 39 minutes a game," Paige said. "Every single play they have involved him in a pick and roll or him coming off screens. And he's also really good. He's really good."

Now the attention turns toward taking advantage against Louisville, too. The Tar Heels will likely be without sophomore forward Kennedy Meeks, who hasn't practiced since March 7 due to flu-like symptoms. But what they will have is a healthy Paige with a pain-free right foot. Earlier in the season, the guard was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis.

"It's just completely different being able to play not worrying at all about my foot," he said. "It's so liberating for me to be able to be out there, like a brand new car or something."

Sophomore guard Nate Britt knows that with a healthy Paige and a high-UNC energy level, Thursday's quarterfinal stage is set for a matchup between two teams that have both proven they can beat the other.

This time against the Cardinals, he's hopeful for a different result than the last.

"We lost to them the second game and this is the ACC Tournament," Britt said. "There's no reason for us not to be hyped up about this game."

sports@dailytarheel.com