Column: ‘Hicks hysteria’

Four days after North Carolina’s 84-73 win over Syracuse, the tweets and articles about forward Isaiah Hicks keep coming — as they should.

The junior put the squeeze on the Orange Saturday night, tying his career high with 21 points and setting a new rebounding high with eight. Not to mention, he went 11-for-13 from the free throw line.

Amidst the Hicks hysteria, some fans have called for the forward to be moved into the starting lineup. One commenter on a popular website covering UNC athletics went as far as to say Hicks “deserves” the starting nod.

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Despite scoring in double figures in eight of his past nine games, Hicks hasn’t been the defensive stalwart he was a season ago, when he was named UNC’s defensive player of the game a team-high 13 times.

In fact, out of North Carolina’s frontcourt tandems to play 50-plus minutes, the three with the worst defensive ratings all include Hicks.

And while junior forward Kennedy Meeks has missed seven games this season because of a bruised bone in his left knee, his 69 rebounds are only three less than Hicks’ 72.

Because of Meeks’ rebounding ability, the junior — who has started 58 games during his career compared to three starts for Hicks — could be a more vital member of UNC’s starting rotation than Hicks or Joel James.

On offense, Hicks’ timely scoring off the bench has been crucial for the Tar Heels. In Saturday’s back-and-forth game, his most impressive stat was perhaps his 19 second-half points.

After leading UNC with 6.6 points per game off the bench during his sophomore season, Hicks enters Saturday’s game against N.C. State as North Carolina’s top bench scorer, averaging 10.2 points per game.

Moving Hicks into the starting rotation would not only remove him from a position where he’s excelled, but it would also deprive the Tar Heels of the energy boost he adds.

Sophomore wing Theo Pinson entered this season as the Tar Heels’ projected spark plug off the bench. But through 17 games, that role has belonged to Hicks, as Pinson has averaged just 5.7 points per game in more minutes.

A reason Hicks has averaged 18.6 minutes per game, the seventh-most on the team, is because of his knack for fouling. He is second on the team with 2.6 fouls per game.

Hicks’ second-half outburst against Syracuse overshadowed his three first-half fouls. Had he avoided foul trouble in the first half, the junior could have contributed even more.

If Hicks’ minutes increased as a starter, which they likely would, he could find himself in even more foul trouble than usual — or perhaps fouled out, like he was against Clemson in just 24 minutes.

And while Hicks’ most recent outing should have fans excited, I’m sure many would prefer seeing him come off the bench instead of starting, getting into foul trouble, and being forced to stay there.