The frustration was evident in Brice Johnson’s eyes as he sat slumped outside the North Carolina locker room.
It wasn’t about his own performance. No, the No. 12 UNC basketball team likely wouldn’t have beaten Holy Cross 62-54 on Friday without him.
It was about the lethargy and selfishness surrounding him.
In some ways, Johnson was alone Friday, just him and fellow sophomore Marcus Paige providing the energy UNC so sorely lacked in a 25-25 first half.
“I had to do something,” said Johnson, who scored 12 points in 18 minutes on the court. “My team was dead. I had to bring some kind of energy to it. I can’t stand playing dead. That was just ugly.
“I’m gonna be honest with you, that was the ugliest first half I’ve ever seen.”
After shooting 74.2 percent in the first half against Oakland last week — a record for any half under Roy Williams — the Tar Heels shot just 27.3 percent from the field in Friday’s first half. UNC allowed the Crusaders, who shot just 22 percent in the half, to climb back from an 11-1 deficit and even the ledger at 25.
Williams admonished the Tar Heels for their selfishness at halftime with the message, “It’s not about you.”
Johnson and Paige — who are roommates and close friends — established a connectivity on the court in the second half. Together they provided 12 points of an 18-3 run that elevated UNC from being down 32-29 to being up 47-35. Perhaps just as importantly, they provided energy-inducing plays throughout the game — a steal and layup from Paige, an emotionally charged dunk from Johnson.
“Me and Marcus are like brothers, so we fed off each other,” Johnson said. “After I dunked it and screamed, he said, ‘Alright, let’s go. Let’s play. That’s the energy I wanted.’”
