Paige’s return lifts No. 9 UNC past No. 2 Maryland 89-81

In his fourth season with the team, Fedora has led North Carolina to an 11-1 record and a spot in Saturday’s ACC championship game. However, with Paige back in the fold, despite this group entering the 2015-16 college basketball season as the No. 1 team in the AP preseason poll, North Carolina finally displayed the look of a team capable of doing big things come March. However, UNC’s rushing defense has struggled this year (ranked 101st nationally). “If we get beat, it’s not going to be because he didn’t have the ball in his hands”.

Marcus Paige looked like he’d never missed a minute in his first game of the season.

The Tigers’ offense has hit the 500-yard mark in eight straight games. That said, don’t forget that SC only lost to Clemson by five last weekend.

5 Pittsburgh (8-4, 6-2 ACC): The Panthers have a lot to be happy about winning eight games after losing James Connor in the opener, even after losing three of its final five games.

160.8: This is the number of yards the Clemson defense allows on the ground.

David Allen is SI’s campus correspondent for the University of North Carolina. North Carolina is back in action Sunday night against visiting Davidson. He tops the league in passing yardage (3,223), TD passes (27) and passing efficiency rating (161.9). So they are similar players, very similar to me. UNC will have to limit the run to have a chance Saturday. Berry had wider passing lanes and dished out five assists, marking for the most he’s had since arriving in Chapel Hill a year ago. Beat Clemson and North Carolina would likely pass the Irish and Seminoles, both losers to the Tigers this season.

“I just tried to do whatever I could to help my team win”, said Sulaimon. Not only does Watson boast the ability to kill defenses with his arm, his mobility and flawless execution of the Tigers’ zone-read option is something to be scared of. The Heisman chatter around Watson’s season is completely valid, as he has the third highest completion percentage in the country at 70.4. He also has nine rushing TDs. “He had a big-time motor in high school; just a relentless runner, a really good football player and a great person”. Because if the Tar Heels actually do pull off the upset, how can the committee deny a one-loss ACC team that just got done knocking off the best team in the nation?

Sounds like too many ifs need to happen, which is too bad for the Tar Heels. Running back Elijah Hood has 1,280 yards and 15 runs of 20 yards or more. However, Williams’ play will be key to the success of the Heels. Williams will have to stretch the field with his arm and keep the defense honest with his legs. This year, it has surrendered just 45. He’s no where near the caliber of a player like Deshaun Watson, but Williams is a very solid player with vast dual-threat capabilities.

Peake caught one pass for 17 yards in Clemson’s 38-10 win against Virginia Tech.

The total for Saturdays’ game is set at 67 points. He’ll have to give his all for UNC to contend with the Tigers.

This outcome is quite predictable given what we said at the beginning of the season when Duke was pitched as a dark horse playoff team.

The turnover advantage for North Carolina was one of the big factors in the outcome of the game.

As it turns out, Chizik improved UNC’s defense in virtually every facet this year, which is why the Heels are playing in the ACC championship game, but when it comes to that top priority, it’s hard to undersell the work he’s done, particularly considering he’s done it with virtually the same roster.