Brice Johnson's benching sparks career game, UNC victory over UCLA

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Reporters gathered in the bowels of the Barclays Center on Saturday, awaiting North Carolina forward Brice Johnson and Coach Roy Williams for their postgame press conference.

After the senior sat on the bench for an extended period of time in the first half, questions remained about what Johnson said to deserve his banishment to the bench.

But as Johnson attempted to explain the comments that led to his prolonged absence upon his arrival to the interview room, his coach interrupted.

“Coach got mad at him and took him out,” Williams said. “I had my reasons. Period. The end. It's not a story.”

“I kind of used some bad language, and Coach was really pissed off at me for it,” Johnson continued. “So he sat me for it. It put a fire under my butt. When I got back in there, I was ready to go.”

And it showed. The senior forward erupted for a career-high 27 points after returning to the game, and served as the catalyst in No. 11 UNC’s 89-76 win against No. 22 UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic.

Johnson missed his first shot of the game before being pulled with 16:44 left in the first half. He marched toward the bench, muttering a curse word that prompted Williams to scold him and send him to the end of the bench.

Without their second-leading scorer, the Tar Heels (9-2) muddled through the first half, trailing the Bruins (8-4) by as many as 11 points. Meanwhile, Johnson sat on the bench, watching and waiting for eight minutes and 37 seconds.

“I was wondering if I was going to get (back) in the game,” he said. “Because Coach said, ‘Hey, you go sit at the end of the bench, but if you say anything else, you can go to the locker room.’

“I said, ‘Well, I'm not going to say anything. I'm just going to sit here.’ I was worried if I was going to get back in there, because he looked past me about four times in the rotation.”

But his turn finally came. Johnson re-entered the game with 8:07 left in the first half and UCLA leading 28-19.

His first points came about a minute later, and he scored 11 more points in the final 5:04 to help North Carolina tie the contest at 38 entering halftime.

“Our whole team picked our energy level up at that point,” said senior guard Marcus Paige about Johnson’s return. “He started locking in defensively, so then we could leave him on the court, and then when he gets the ball he’s pretty much an automatic bucket.”

Johnson scored 14 more points in the second half to finish the game 11-of-12 from the field in just 29 minutes of action, as the Tar Heels cruised in the final 20 minutes.

The senior scored with 9:24 left to play to hand UNC a 62-57 advantage and ignite an offensive brigade. The Tar Heels made 11 straight field goals, including five by Johnson, to increase their lead to as many as 17 points.

"(Johnson) is a pretty good threat — 11-for-12 and nine rebounds," said UCLA coach Steve Alford, whose team boasts wins over Kentucky and Gonzaga this season. "That's as good of a team as we've played, and I think Johnson's playing at a really high level right now."

Johnson’s performance came just three days after he scored 25 points, then a career-high, against Tulane. And in the midst of another career game on Saturday, Williams saw a more energized Johnson after his benching.

“I almost hugged him and kissed him one time,” Williams said, “but then I realized who it was.”

Williams said pushing Johnson to always play with the same intensity is a “24-hour job,” and Saturday’s benching proved to be yet another motivational tactic he’s used during Johnson’s four years.

“I haven’t had that kind of relationship with many guys, not that I can remember,” Williams said. “But that’s OK, too. I need something unusual to keep me even more fired up. This is my 43rd year coaching. I need to have some Brice Johnsons.”

And on Saturday, the Tar Heels had the Brice Johnson they needed. 

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