It was this night, a late-February Wednesday at N.C. State’s PNC Arena, in a game that extended into overtime, where Paige outdueled T.J. Warren in one of the greatest back-and-forth displays in the old rivalry’s history. It was Paige on one end, sinking jumphot after jumpshot to spur a North Carolina second-half comeback. It was Warren on the other, doing everything he could to keep the Wolfpack’s NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Paige made seven 3-pointers and tallied 35 points. Warren finished with 36 points. Both point totals were career highs.
The two went blow for blow the duration of the second half until Paige delivered the fatal shot of the showdown. Warren missed one of two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining. Paige dropped a layup into the hoop with less than a second on the clock. The Tar Heels won 85-84.
Marcus Paige scores the game-winning basket in UNC's 85-84 win. Photo courtesy of Spencer Herlong/Carolina Blue
In a battle that will become an oft-told tale for the ages, Paige emerged the victor.
“I’ve coached a lot of games … but I don’t know if I’ve seen much where two guys are going back and forth at each other like that,” coach Roy Williams said. “The little fella was just off the charts. Just unbelievable. Marcus didn’t play very well in the first half, but in the second half, that’s about as good of an exhibition as I’ve ever seen.”
The Second Half Paige story is a well-told narrative, but never has it been so prodigious.
Paige willed UNC back from an eight-point halftime deficit. He entered the locker room with four points to his name, but it all started coming together with 10:49 remaining in regulation, when the sophomore got his first 3-pointer to fall. Two minutes later, it was his second 3-pointer. A half-minute after that, his third.
As the clock drew down, Paige continued to make plays. His fourth 3-pointer gave UNC a 56-55 lead late in the game. He scored seven points in the final 100 seconds, including his fifth 3-pointer that put the Tar Heels ahead by three with a minute to go.
But, for every arrow Paige shot, Warren had an answer. The sophomore forward was unguardable down the stretch. He made seven second-half field goals to help N.C. State hold off UNC’s comeback. He scored eight of the Wolfpack’s final 10 points in regulation, including two free throws with 1.5 seconds to go to send the game into overtime.
“Neither of us have any selfish intentions,” Paige said. “I had the hot hand, and I wanted to take it upon myself to match what he was doing for his team. On a subconscious level, there’s gamesmanship going on; there’s a little competition.”
The Paige-Warren show didn’t stop at the end of regulation. Warren scored the first six points of the extra period and appeared to seal the game for the Wolfpack.
But, Paige was unrelenting. When Warren failed to complete an and-one, Paige fired back with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. A minute later, Warren again put N.C. State ahead by six, but Paige again answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession.
The final minute of the two-man showdown belonged to Paige. He hit two free throws with 41.6 seconds remaining to pull UNC within two. On the inbounds pass, Warren got caught in a sideline trap and turned the ball over, and soon after James Michael McAdoo made a layup that tied the game at 83.
The rest was history. Warren went one-of-two at the line, and Paige streaked down the court and scored the game-winning bucket.
It was a back-and-forth show that, perhaps, is unmatched in the annals of the ACC. Paige scored 20 of UNC’s final 32 points. Warren scored 19 of the Wolfpack’s final 27.
McAdoo said he’s never seen two opponents gun at each other quite like that.
“T.J. and Marcus — both of them hit huge shots. We refused to let any of those shots they made be daggers to us,” McAdoo said. “I’m definitely just thankful for Marcus.”
Time and again this season, Paige has served as savior for the Tar Heels. He lifted UNC to its early-season marquee wins, and he kept the pieces in place before the 10-game winning streak.
His legend will be written one day, and Wednesday night’s duel will be chapter one.
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