As North Carolina’s reserves took the court at the end of Tuesday’s game against Miami, guards Kendall Marshall and Dexter Strickland sunk deeply into their seats.
It was as if carrying the proverbial weight of their struggling teammates finally broke them to the point of exhaustion.
UNC’s big three — Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson — were the Tar Heels’ only double-digit scorers in their ACC opener against Boston College. But this time, it was the UNC backcourt that fueled the Tar Heels to victory.
The frontcourt trio combined for just 33 points on 13 of 37 shooting in the Tar Heels’ 73-56 win. Zeller finished with 16 of those points.
“Last game I talked about our big guys had great shooting percentages and this time it was Dexter and Kendall,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “I like that part of it, that different people can hurt you on a different night.”
Marshall and Strickland had to carry the team offensively throughout much of the first half, and the pair scored eight points a piece in the first half.
Marshall finished with 12 points, marking the first time he scored in double figures since last season’s NCAA tournament game against Washington. Strickland finished the game with 14 points and three assists.
Widely known as a pass-first point guard, Marshall worked more off the dribble against the Hurricanes. With Miami’s big men awaiting the usual dump to UNC’s forwards, he was able to get multiple easy layups at the rim.
“It seemed a lot more open,” Marshall said. “The bigs were really focused on taking away my pass. So it’s not a matter of me trying to be more aggressive, but me just trying to make the right play to help my team.”
