"By: UNC Athletic Communications
By Aaron Beard, Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL -- Marcus Paige spent the first six games watching from the sideline as his North Carolina teammates had to figure out how to play without their injured floor leader.
His debut Tuesday night made the ninth-ranked Tar Heels look more like the team everyone expected to see.
The senior scored 20 points to help UNC beat No. 2 Maryland 89-81 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, showing no ill effects from the broken bone in his right hand nor rust from the layoff.
Paige, the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference co-player of the year, assisted for the game's first basket then buried a 3-pointer on the next possession — proof that he was ready to roll in an early season top-10 matchup.
"The first shot went down — it wasn't a great shot — but I was feeling it, so I shot it," Paige said. "Once that went in, I kind of relaxed and was like, 'All right you're fine, just play your game.'"
"It helps that I don't feel any pain in my (non-shooting) hand. The way it's taped, it's not uncomfortable," he said. "So after the first minute or so, I forgot about it and just played my game."
Tough Young Man...and there he was playing alongside another Tough Young Man (Joel Berry III).
