UNC Basketball: The 15 Tar Heels opposing fans hated most
Marcus Paige
Similar to Luke Maye, Marcus Paige earned a spot on this list from the hate he received from one school’s fan base. Had it not been for crosstown rival North Carolina State — and Paige’s tendency to dominate the Wolfpack on the road — there’s no way he’d have found himself in the company of the UNC basketball program’s most hated players.
Take the game Paige had at PNC Arena in February 2014, for example, when he went back and forth with sensational sophomore forward T.J. Warren, pouring in 35 points against the Wolfpack. Paige hit 11-of-21 shots for the game, and drained 7-of-12 from three-point range. He added six rebounds, five assists and two steals, all while turning the ball over just once in 41 minutes of play. Not to mention the game-winning shot he hit with 0.9 seconds left on the clock.
Maybe the most impressive thing, however, was that he scored just four points in a first half that he couldn’t seem to get into a rhythm on the court. He followed up his sluggish first half with 21 points in the second half, and 10 in overtime.
Paige put together another special performance against NC State the following year when North Carolina traveled to Raleigh for the first of two meetings. He had game-highs in points (23), assists (9) and steals (4), and again led the Tar Heels to victory over the Wolfpack on the road. Most notably, he connected on 5-of-5 from three-point range, knocked down all six of his free throw attempts and didn’t commit a single turnover in 36 minutes of play.
Paige’s most iconic moment of all, of course, came later that season when he hit the clutch, game-tying three-pointer against Villanova in the National Championship that tied the score at 74 apiece. That shot, in case anyone is wondering or confused, belongs in the pantheon of great UNC basketball moments ever. Yes, right up there with the Michael Jordan game-winner in the 1982 title game.
Sure, Paige’s shot didn’t lead the Tar Heels to victory — that possibility was extinguished by Villanova’s Kris Jenkins just a few seconds later — but the moment was great, nonetheless.
The composure that Paige had just to make the play was impressive. The level of difficulty involved in the shot itself — dribbling around one defender and shooting between two others — was incredible. The fact that he made the shot, and in that big of a moment, was unlike many I’ve seen in my two-plus decades as a fan of the sport.
If that replay doesn’t give you chills, you might want to check which shade of blue you’re wearing.
Paige played a handful of games in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets, as well as a couple of stints in the G-League with Salt Lake City and Charlotte. He’s currently playing for KK Partizan of the Adriatic Basketball Association in Belgrade, Serbia.