“We like to play inside-out, so I’m glad he’s producing at the rate he is,” said junior guard Marcus Paige. “I haven’t talked to him about anything, or anything of that nature — we just want him to keep playing the way he is.”
Paige had only five points against UNC-G, struggling both from behind the arc and driving to the basket. Meeks, as has been the case most of this season, was there to fill the void.
"When Marcus doesn't make shots, I kind of take it upon myself or Brice (Johnson) just to get those easy buckets down low, draw fouls," Meeks said. "Any way we can get points on the board."
The sophomore from Charlotte didn’t have to pick up the slack alone, though. Alongside him?
Not necessarily Johnson, who averages just over 11 points per game. Not Isaiah Hicks, who has thrived in his role as sixth-man this season. Instead, it was a different big man who carried the offensive load against the Spartans: Joel James.
“Joel came in and was great — he gave us energy, he gave us everything we needed,” Hicks said. “That was the little spark.”
James, who matched his career-high with 11 points, flashed the same offensive prowess Meeks did, missing just two shots.
“There was a time where I caught the offensive rebound, I went back up super fast and I wasn’t aggressive with it, I tried to avoid contact and missed the shot,” James said. “When shots aren’t falling like they weren’t today, you just gotta be aggressive and keep going to the rim.”
That’s exactly what James did; in fact, he did more than just attack the rim.
Layup? Check. Dunk? Check. Free throw? Check. Jump shot? Check. James even threw in a running sky hook for good measure.
It wasn’t a typical performance from James, but it was for this year’s UNC basketball team as a whole.
Feed it to the big men and let them go to work.
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“This was a good way to show that when you do the stuff coach tells us, and when we game plan and stick to that, it actually works,” Paige said.
Layup, offensive rebound, dunk: rinse and repeat.
sports@dailytarheel.com
