Marshall and Barnes a lethal combination

Per tradition, the ACC regular season champions cut down the nets after clinching the title.

John Henson clipped a piece and passed the scissors. Then Dexter Strickland. Then Kendall Marshall.

And as the freshman point guard climbed down the ladder and back to the court littered with fans, Marshall walked toward Harrison Barnes and handed him the scissors.

It was only the second assist of the night for Marshall to Barnes, but the chemistry between the two standout freshmen transcends the court when the lights are on and arena packed.

“Being around each other day in and day out, practicing with each other, in the games I know his sweet spots,” Marshall said, “he knows where I like to give him the ball. So we don’t so much have to communicate vocally to know what we want to do.”

Marshall has long been the catalyst for UNC’s late-season run to the ACC Championship. After stepping into the starting role against Clemson on Jan. 18, Barnes’ point production increased significantly.

The freshman forward had scored in single digits in nine of the Tar Heels’ games prior to Clemson. Since Marshall’s insertion into the lineup, Barnes’ nine-point performance in the first Duke game has been his only contest below 10.

“I think it starts off the court,” Barnes said. “Kendall and I are very close. We came in both as freshmen together, and we’ve been through our struggles together. I think that just has so much impact on our court chemistry.

“When he got the starting position, we just started gelling instantly. We’ve just gotten together playing together.”

Marshall dropped 11 dimes on the night, two more than the entire Duke team. His consistent distribution—not to mention his 15 points—helped keep the game out of the Blue Devils’ reach.

“They were extremely hard to defend — Marshall had a fantastic game and he’s been playing so well for them,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “They had balanced scoring. He really spreads the ball around well.”

Barnes had a team-high 18 points but only got one assist directly from Marshall. That came on a Barnes’ jumper with 2:10 left in the first half to put UNC up by 11. Yet there were countless times where a Barnes bucket came off a ball that had just previously been in Marshall’s hands.

Marshall’s 36 minutes were just one off his season-high of 37, coming in Durham earlier this season when he dished out only six assists. He’s played 33 or more minutes in all but one of UNC’s nine games while Barnes has scored 16 or more in seven games during that span.

“He took (the starting job) and everybody supported him,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “I mean everybody on our team loved the way he stepped up. Everybody on our team loves to play with him. I think it was big time to say the least.

“He’s the kind of point guard that does make people better because he can get them the ball where they can score. And as long as they hang that thing on the ceiling or the wall called a scoreboard, that’s what you’re supposed to do.”