Cade Tyson stood in the corner with about 12 minutes to go in the second half.
As junior guard Seth Trimble drove into the lane, Tyson ran under the basket to the opposite side of the court. Graduate guard RJ Davis swung the ball to him. Swish.
On the next offensive possession, Tyson found himself alone again — this time in the other corner. Swish.
La Salle took the ball to half court and called a timeout. Elliot Cadeau, waiting at the scorers table to check in, clapped his hands above his head, jumped up and ran onto the court. The sophomore guard gave Tyson a high five and then pushed him in the back toward the North Carolina bench.
“It was awesome,” Tyson said. “I feel that in practice a lot. It was a little different being out there.”
On Saturday afternoon in the Dean E. Smith Center, the junior forward recorded a season-high 23 points in UNC’s 93-67 win. Despite not making a shot since his nine-point performance on Nov. 22 against Hawaii, Tyson focused on maintaining his confidence and utilizing his frustration to his advantage to break out of his season-long slump. He shot 9-14 on Saturday, including going 5-10 from beyond the arc.
When Tyson transferred to North Carolina from Belmont, he was expected to make an immediate impact from the 3-point line. But in his first nine games as a Tar Heel, Tyson hit just four threes. He only attempted 15.
In the five games before facing La Salle, Tyson has not played more than nine minutes.
Although he never regretted his decision to transfer, it was a tough change. He struggled to find his form. And for someone who shot nearly 45 percent from three at Belmont, Tyson was frustrated.
