Tar Heels turn the page without Meeks

If No. 11 North Carolina's season was a book, each game would be like a chapter. Some chapters get to be highlights, like UNC's loss at the buzzer to Texas or the Tar Heels' win against then-No. 2 Maryland in Marcus Paige’s first game back. 

But others, like last night's 96-72 win over Tulane, get to be expository chapters. Ultimately, Wednesday night’s win won’t be important for the final score, but for what it says about the resiliency of the Tar Heels going forward. 

Earlier in the week, the team announced that junior forward Kennedy Meeks would miss at least the next two weeks with a bone bruise in his knee, starting with the game against Tulane. That left one starting spot, 12.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game to be filled. 

Senior forward Brice Johnson took it chiefly upon himself to fill that gap. 

“We got Isaiah (Hicks) and Joel (James) and Luke (Maye), but at the same time I’m a really good scorer down low,” Johnson said. “Coach ( Roy Williams) really needs me to score big time points, so I had to be able to step up.” 

Johnson had added motivation following a poor performance against Texas, where he only played five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. During the first half against the Green Wave, Johnson had only one foul and scored 17 points en route to a career-high 25 points in only 25 minutes. He also added 10 rebounds to secure his sixth double-double this season. 

“I think for a while there tonight, he was really a man on the backboards,” Coach Williams said. “He got several offensive rebounds in the crowd, and we need him to do that.”

It wasn’t just Johnson who stepped up, though. Hicks finished in double digits with 11 points, while James added four points and seven rebounds. They each helped replace different facets of Meeks’ game. James has a similar sized body as Meeks, which helps replace the missing production on defense and rebounding. While Hicks only had one rebound, he’s a better passer than James and had three assists to zero turnovers. 

Also seeing a lot of action was Maye. Although Maye was 0-2 from the floor and 1-4 from the free throw line, he grabbed five rebounds and had a pair of assists, including a nifty over the shoulder pass. After a rough start, the rookie did enough to impress Williams. 

“We’ve seen some of that really good play in practice, and since Kennedy’s out we need another guy to be able to step up,” Williams said. “You look at his stat line, and it’s not that impressive, but I really think Luke Maye is going to be a really good player for us, surprise a lot of people. He’s got to get a little more confident, work a little harder, and I think if he does that he’s got a knack for coming up with the basketball on the boards.”

Replacing a major player isn’t new for UNC this season — the Tar Heels were without Paige for a month while he healed from a fractured hand. But losing Meeks won’t affect how UNC approaches each game.

“I approach it the same way as all the time,” Hicks said. “When you go out there, there’s still us five players out there — five North Carolina players.”

The next man up mentality will come in handy as the Tar Heels continue to adjust to life without Meeks — for however long that might be. 

@loganulrich

sports@dailytarheel.com