When No. 8 North Carolina took the lead on Saturday with an inside jumper from freshman James Michael McAdoo in the eighth minute, point guard Kendall Marshall pumped his right fist straight up into the air.
After a slow start, the motion — Marshall’s go-to when watching a teammate succeed off of one of his assists — would become routine throughout the game, as the Tar Heels (23-4, 10-2 ACC) knocked off the Tigers (13-13, 5-7) yet again in the Smith Center, 74-52.
Marshall sparked UNC’s offense with 13 assists — his 11th time notching double-digit assists this season — and just three turnovers. His efforts fueled Harrison Barnes to a game-high 24 points, while Tyler Zeller added 14 points of his own.
And UNC’s players were far from the only people noticing Marshall’s impact on the game.
“He’s one of my favorite players in college basketball because of the way he passes and plays,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “He’s so unique. You don’t see many guys like him — his ability to pass, his unselfishness, his IQ for the game is tremendous.
“Who wouldn’t want to play with that guy? Who wouldn’t want to coach him?”
But as the starting point guard’s arsenal of assists fueled North Carolina’s offensive success, Marshall continued his passing game after UNC’s victory and gave full attention to his fellow players.
“I’ve got to give full credit to my teammates,” Marshall said. “They did a great job getting to the back of defenders heads and making it an easy pass. When you have players like John sitting at the rim, you have no choice but to throw it to him.”
The game, though, wasn’t always smooth sailing, as the Tigers pulled within six points of UNC with just less than 12 minutes remaining in the game.
