UNC gets back on winning track

Roy Williams watched from the sideline as sophomore forward J.P. Tokoto flipped a behind-the-back-pass from out of bounds to James Michael McAdoo, who found Leslie McDonald fast-breaking down the court for an effortless left-handed layup.

He watched as McAdoo slammed a thunderous two-handed dunk eliciting an emotional scream and a high-five from an ecstatic stranger.

He watched as senior walk-on James Manor drained back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 35 seconds of UNC’s 80-61 snub of Clemson (13-6, 4-3 ACC) , sending the Smith Center into a booming frenzy and sending the Tigers home with their 57th straight loss in Chapel Hill.

The hustle. The tenacity. The “sense of urgency” that he has pleaded his team to find since it opened up ACC play with a 1-4 record — they were all there Sunday night.

It had finally come together for the Tar Heels.

And for the first time in a what seems like a while, Williams — sporting squeaky white Air Jordans with pink laces to support cancer awareness — cracked a smile at the postgame press conference.

“It’s like the stock market. You can’t make money if you don’t invest. Basketball, you can’t get success unless you really invest,” he said.

“I think you can go in (the locker room) and every one of them will tell you this was the best game in a long time with how hard we played.”

The tone was set early.

UNC (12-7, 2-4 ACC) took command of the opening tip, scored two quick points, and by four minutes in, every starter had inked his name into the score book.

McAdoo stole the show with 22 points and seven rebounds, showcasing his ability to finish in the paint and ferociously attack the rim.

He said his play, full of emphatic dunks and diving plays, stemmed from the chip-on-the-shoulder mentality his team has felt recently.

“I think a lot of guys are starting to buy in and starting to realize that every night, every day, we gotta come ready to play,” he said.

“At the end of the day, we just have to have pride and realize that every time we step out there, we’re not just representing ourselves, but the school and all the guys that came before us.”

Williams was quick to note his big man’s clear decision to step up.

“I’ll take 9-for-13 from him every time,” he said.

Clemson coach Brad Brownell noticed it, too.

“Physically, we knew that (he) would be a problem for us,” he said. “We’ve played a lot of good teams, and there’s not a lot of guys playing at that level he played with tonight.”

Sophomore guard Marcus Paige — who also sang McAdoo’s praises — tallied 15 points of his own, 13 of which came in the second half .

He credited an extra film session the squad participated in Saturday night as one of the reasons his team was able to play more confidently.

“We actually did go back and look at our three biggest wins earlier in the year,” he said.

“We watched some film on that just to remind us that we’re a good team and we can be a good team if we just do the little things and play hard.”

And Sunday, it was just that — the little things — that made all the difference.

“You gotta look at that and see it’s a positive thing around the locker room right now,” Paige said. “Why wouldn’t you want to do that every game?”

sports@dailytarheel.com