ATLANTA --- North Carolina fought through some foul trouble and an injury to John Henson to beat Maryland 85-69 in the first round of the 59th ACC Tournament at Phillips Arena.
Tar Heels point guard Kendall Marshall became the ACC’s all-time single-season leader in assists, passing the mark previously set by Georgia Tech’s Craig Neal with 303 in 1988. Marshall’s 12 assists on the afternoon give him 311 for the season.
Top-seeded UNC improved to 28-4 on the season, while the Terrapins fell to 17-15.
Here are both teams’ grades on their performances Friday:
Maryland offense: Terps were inconsistent in getting good looks, and when they did, they weren’t usually on target. The guards didn’t help with some of their shot selection, and UNC’s defense did a nice job at times keeping the Terrapins from getting good looks. The Terps shot just 38.7 from the field, including 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. Grade: D+.
UNC offense: Carolina was quite good for a few long stretches, a reason it converted 50.8 percent of its 61 field goal attempts. UNC was 7-for-15 from 3-point range, including three each by Marshall and Reggie Bullock. James Michael McAdoo filled in well for Henson, totaling 14 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes. Grade: A.
Maryland defense: Solid at times, but UNC is just so good that it’s impossible to be great against the Tar Heels. The Terps limited UNC to seven second-chance points, which is the best stat it came away with. Grade: C.
UNC defense: Terrell Stoglin scored 30 points on 11-21 shooting, but UNC knew he alone wouldn’t win the game for Maryland. The rest of the Terrapins were just 13-for-41. Nick Faust was 4-13. Overall, Carolina executed its game plan as Roy Williams wanted. Grade: A.
Maryland intangibles: The Terps certainly brought their lunch pails and fought their tails off. But they had some brutal possessions, took some ill-advised shots, and let UNC get into their heads for a stretch in the second half. Grade: C-.
UNC intangibles: Carolina shrugged off the adversity and continued its rhinoceros ways plowing ahead. UNC was unflappable, played with excellent focus, and came out like a team on a mission to win three games this weekend. Grade: A.
