Marcus Paige returns against No. 2 Maryland

Marcus Paige is back — and without a moment to spare.

Exactly four weeks after fracturing a bone in his non-shooting hand in practice, the North Carolina senior guard will hit the court for the first time this season tonight against No. 2 Maryland.

Coach Roy Williams said Paige will likely start with sophomore guard Joel Berry, as sophomore wing Theo Pinson slides to the bench.

“I’m probably not going to be peak Marcus ...” Paige said. “I have first-game jitters, but it’s (December). It’s just a situation I’ve never been in before.”

Paige will wear padding underneath his right hand as a preventative measure, but the guard said the pain is gone and his hand is 100 percent.

If North Carolina had been faced with an NCAA Tournament game, Williams said Paige could have played a week ago. But the coach kept his senior sidelined for the full length of his initial prognosis.

“I told him, if the doctors had said he could go, I wasn’t going to let him play,” Williams said. “And he gave me a dirty look.”

Without Paige — the ACC Preseason Co-Player of the Year — the No. 9 Tar Heels (5-1) have sputtered. Despite winning their first three contests by 20 points or more, Williams was less than pleased with his team’s effort and intensity level.

And in a game scheduled before Paige’s injury as a homecoming for the Iowa native, UNC fell 71-67 to Northern Iowa and forfeited the top ranking in the country.

“That was the longest six-game stretch ever,” Paige said. “Just sitting over there and feeling helpless and not being able to fully be a part of what’s going on.”

With Paige out, sophomore wing Justin Jackson has carried the load, leading his team with at least 20 points in each of the past three contests.

But Jackson admits the team’s effort was lacking through the first three games and hopes Paige’s model work ethic will spark a fire under his teammates.

“The type of player he is, he just comes right back in and gels with us all,” he said. “Obviously having him out there will open up a whole lot of things for everybody ... We’re just a better team with him.”

In Paige’s absence, UNC’s most glaring weakness has been its perimeter defense, as the Tar Heels have struggled to stop the dribble drive and switch onto 3-point shooters.

But with his star guard back on the court, Williams hopes the senior’s return will remedy UNC’s defensive deficiencies.

“He’s just the best defensive player,” Williams said. “He’s where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there. There’s a security blanket out there because he’s where he’s supposed to be.”

Tonight, Paige will be back where he has yearned to be — suited up in the Smith Center, starting in a game circled on his calendar for weeks.

“It just kind of gives you a measuring stick of where you’re at,” he said. “We like to think we’re one of the elite teams, and I know Maryland thinks they’re one of the elite teams ...”

“Obviously this game won’t define the entire season. But it’s a pretty big game, and I think both teams know that.”

@CJacksonCowart

sports@dailytarheel.com