Barnes burns Terps

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North Carolina star Harrison Barnes was listed as questionable prior to the Tar Heels’ matchup with Maryland Saturday afternoon. The forward sprained his left ankle against Wake Forest Tuesday, but decided to play against the Terrapins. It was a good thing for UNC that he did.

The Tar Heels (20-3, 7-1 ACC) came back to beat the Terps (13-9, 3-5 ACC) 83-74 after trailing most of the game. Guard Terrell Stoglin (20 points) helped Maryland take a 40-37 lead into halftime.

Stoglin crossed the living daylight out of Carolina guard Reggie Bullock and swished a sensational Tony Parker-esque floater with 2:17 to go in the first half, putting Maryland up 37-33. The razzle-dazzle move caused play-by-play announcer Mike Patrick to exclaim: “What a crossover there! And the rainbow! Holy cow! What a shot!” Stoglin scored a career-high 33 against Miami Wednesday, including 29 in the second half and overtime, and has been wheeling and dealing as of late.

Alex Len chipped in with 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks off the bench for UMD and Sean Mosley had 11 points. Maryland’s devoted fans were bumping and jiving and enjoying a joyous afternoon until Barnes nailed a three with 9:19 remaining, giving the Tar Heels a 59-57 advantage. The trey marked UNC’s first lead since midway through the first half and muted the College Park faithful. It was all downhill from there.

John Henson scored two of his 17 points off a pretty pass from crafty point guard Kendall Marshall. Tyler Zeller added 22 as the Tar Heels had four players score in double figures. Barnes nailed a dagger jumper that put UNC up 76-70 with 1:06 remaining.

UNC, the nation’s leading rebounding team, out-boarded Maryland 44-37 and scored 46 points in the second half after getting off to a sluggish start. Marshall finished with 16 assists, while Maryland amassed nine total dimes as a team.

Without Barnes’ leadership and skill, the Terps may have picked up a momentous victory. However, Barnes’ decision to play proved monumental, as he sizzled in the spotlight and valiantly fought off the pain.

UNC will need more pizzazz and poise from Barnes Wednesday night as they “Duke” it out with the Blue Devils. The teams will meet for the first time this season in what many consider college basketball’s best rivalry in order to establish temporary supremacy in the always-competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.

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