UNC basketball team to play the Wolfpack in Raleigh tonight

Earlier in the season, the game plan for shutting down No.19 North Carolina’s offense may have appeared simple.

Stay on James Michael McAdoo. Shut down Marcus Paige.

But after the development of younger players and the regained confidence of its veterans, the solution to defeating UNC is more complex.

During their nine-game winning streak, the Tar Heels (20-7, 10-4 ACC) have developed into a Hydra-like team. Cut one scoring source off, and there’s another ready to take its place.

“It’s just not only one guy,” said senior Leslie McDonald, who led UNC in scoring against both Wake Forest and Duke. “Everybody is doing their job to help out this team. One night you might have McAdoo and Marcus (Paige), another night you might have Kennedy (Meeks), J.P (Tokoto) or myself. It just depends.

“Our team is not just centered around one person. All of our players can score at will.”

Four players — Paige, McAdoo, McDonald and Brice Johnson — average double figures, and Tokoto and Meeks are on the cusp of joining.

Though Paige is the team’s leading scorer, two other players, McDonald and Meeks, led the team in its last three wins. McDonald posted 19 and 21 points against Wake Forest and Duke, respectively, while Meeks poured in 23 against Florida State when McAdoo was held scoreless in limited minutes.

“I think that has been good for us because people still load up on either Marcus (Paige) or James Michael (McAdoo) more than anybody else, but the other guys have kept us in the game if things were going poorly,” coach Roy Williams said.

Johnson, the only non-starter averaging in double figures, has given the Tar Heels a spark off the bench, scoring 10.3 points per game.

“We talk all the time about when you come in the game give us something,” Williams said. “Really, we talk about giving us something positive, and I think those other guys have done that.”

Tonight’s opponent, N.C. State, has a very different team makeup. T.J. Warren, the ACC’s leading scorer, averages 23.3 points per game — 13 points more than the team’s next leading scorer, Ralston Turner.

Against UNC, Warren only scored eight points in the first half before shaking his defenders to finish with 21. Limiting Warren was key in the Tar Heels’ Feb. 1 victory, and it will be another point of emphasis tonight.

“He had four baskets and two of them were pick ups,” Williams said. “I think it was just fortunate. We tried to emphasize him, there’s no question but he’s really hard to guard. It’s not like he gets out there and they clear the floor and let him go one-on-one or anything.”

“He gets all of it within the offense. He shoots a great percentage. To me, that’s the biggest key.”

North Carolina takes on the Wolfpack (17-7, 7-7) at the end of a tough stretch that required the team to play four games in eight days.

After getting banged up during the weekend, McDonald and Meeks have been limited in practice leading up to tonight’s game but expect to play tonight.

But if recent games prove anything, if McDonald and Meeks are limited tonight, there will be another Tar Heel prepared to step up.

sports@dailytarheel.com