Bench play leads No. 4 UNC to ACC quarterfinal victory

ATLANTA — There’s a noise that rings in the ears of North Carolina forward James Michael McAdoo.

And luckily for the No. 4 Tar Heels, the sound was loud and clear in UNC’s 85-69 ACC tournament quarterfinal win against Maryland on Friday at the Philips Arena.

With a career-high tying 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds, the 6-foot-9 freshman helped UNC advance to tomorrow’s semifinal game.

For McAdoo, it was just a confirmation of a feeling he’s had for weeks: That everything is finally starting to click.

“Every time (Jackie Manuel) sees me, he’s like, ‘You hear that clicker noise in the background?’” McAdoo said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I kind of hear it. It’s coming along.’”

With 14:59 left to play in the first half and the Tar Heels leading 14-8, UNC starting forward John Henson was fouled and hit the court, injuring his dominant wrist.

Henson, who has averaged almost 30 minutes per game, played just seven against the Terrapins.

Just more than a month ago, when the UNC bench scored only six points in UNC’s 83-74 win against Maryland in College Park, an injury like that might have spelled disaster for the Tar Heels.

But Friday when North Carolina needed it most, McAdoo and the rest of the UNC bench proved just how far they’ve come since then.

P.J. Hairston’s nine points against the Terrapins on Friday were the most he’s scored all season against an ACC opponent, and even with four of UNC’s starters in double figures, North Carolina bench players combined for 25 points.

Kendall Marshall, who broke the ACC single season assist record in his 13-point, 11-assist performance against the Terrapins, admitted the loss of Henson was huge for the Tar Heels. But with McAdoo stepping in, the point guard didn’t seem to sweat it.

“John is extremely long, and he has some things you can’t teach,” Marshall said. “McAdoo brings a different thing to us: He’s able to face up and slash to the basket and I think he showed that.”

The Tar Heels took a 10-point lead into halftime, and after a pair of Reggie Bullock 3-pointers opened second-half scoring for UNC, McAdoo put an exclamation point on North Carolina’s 8-0 run with a slam dunk.

Almost eight minutes later, ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller left the game after picking up his fourth foul.

But just like it’d done before, the UNC bench showed up in the big man’s absence, combining for nine points in the final 10 minutes of the game.

WIth Henson’s status for tomorrow’s semifinal matchup still unknown, McAdoo might be counted on by his teammates more than ever if the Tar Heels are to win their 18th ACC tournament title.

But for UNC coach Roy Williams, that’s not a problem. He’s had confidence in his freshman forward all along.

“Even when he was struggling I kept putting him in the game,” Williams said. “Until one day I finally told him, I said, ‘Hey, I must think you’re pretty good because you’re not playing very well and I keep putting you in. So why don’t you just go ahead and play well?’”

Friday’s game marks just the fourth time this season McAdoo has finished with double-digit points, and 24 times he’s scored six or fewer from the bench.

But McAdoo said there’s no doubt in his mind that he’s an integral component of UNC’s success, and it wasn’t just his performance against the Terrapins that drove that fact home.

Just like the click sound that’s finally starting to resonate in the background, those kinds of reminders are like music to McAdoo’s ears.

“After the N.C. State game, I was kind of able to talk to coaches and just know that I’m really needed on this team,” he said. “(He said) that if we’re going to go far, he’s going to need the bench, including me, just to contribute and be productive when I’m out there.

“I feel like there’s been some ups and downs. But more ups than downs.”