PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Undistracted by sandy white beaches and crystal clear waters, the No. 6 North Carolina men's basketball team welcomed back senior guard Brandon Robinson and rolled over Alabama in a 76-67 win to open the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas on Wednesday.
After missing the team's first four games due to a right ankle sprain, Robinson poured in a career-high 12 points against the Crimson Tide and tied a career high with six rebounds.
But he was just happy to be on the court again.
“I felt great, just finally getting out there and getting to play basketball again," he said. "It’s just an amazing feeling I was missing, so I feel good."
While head coach Roy Williams said he thinks Robinson still has room to improve, he said he’s glad to have Robinson, who sank three of his six three-point attempts, back on the court.
“He does give you that experience level, confidence; he’s been there before, he knows what’s going on,” Williams said.
Robinson’s teammates agree. Junior forward Garrison Brooks said that Robinson is one of his “best friends,” and that the team and the game were not the same without him.
“I feel like he adds so much to this team, and I feel like he contributes in every statistical category and every part of leadership," Brooks said. "I feel like that was the part we were really missing, man. We just really need him."
At halftime, the Tar Heels held a modest 37-31 lead, mostly thanks to Brooks' 16 points before the break. In the second half, sophomore guard Leaky Black, who said he was "piggybacking" off of Robinson's energy, added nine points, all in the last 20 minutes, to salt away the win.
