After walking away with its third marquee win of the season against No. 11 Kentucky on Saturday, the North Carolina men’s basketball team finds itself trailing Texas 53-42 at the half.
The Longhorns took command of the opening tip, and since have only trailed the Tar Heels once, after a statement 3-pointer by redshirt senior Leslie McDonald gave UNC the 20-19 lead with 12:50 remaining.
McDonald has been sidelined until now due to NCAA eligibility concerns after he promoted a specific mouthguard, and has scored four points in his seven minutes of play.
Sophomore point guard Marcus Paige leads all scorers and has more than a third of UNC’s 42 points with 15. Junior forward James Michael McAdoo’s seven points are good for second best on the team.
Before Wednesday night’s matchup in Chapel Hill, Texas coach Rick Barnes stressed both the importance of Demarcus Holland’s play, and his team’s ability to dominate the boards.
The Longhorns have trounced the Tar Heels in rebounding, pulling down 29, compared to UNC’s mere 15.
Additionally, Holland has come up with 10 points and three rebounds.
The Longhorns are shooting 80 percent from the free throw line, while the Tar Heels are 14 of 22, for 63.6 percent.
Though McDonald has now been cleared to play, Senior Associate Athletic Director of Communications Steve Kirschner noted that there was no update on the status of P.J. Hairston.
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