CHAPEL HILL, N.C. _ Joel Berry was North Carolina's starting point guard a year ago but he wasn't the Tar Heels' definitive leader, the one his teammates and coach Roy Williams turned to for direction, inspiration. Marcus Paige, instead, was often that player, as he had been in previous years.
Now, though, with Paige gone, with Berry in his third season, he's becoming the Tar Heels' unquestioned leader, the force who makes them go. He was that during UNC's first two games and again on Tuesday during its 93-67 victory against Long Beach State at the Smith Center.
Any one of Berry's past three performances _ the 23-point, four-assist game during a 95-75 victory against Tulane; the 18-point, five-assist game in a 97-47 victory against Chattanooga; the 23-point, six-rebound, four-assist game on Tuesday _ would have been among his best a season ago.
Now, less than a week into his junior season, those games are becoming his new normal. Before this season Berry never had put together three consecutive games with at least 15 points. Now he has three consecutive games with at least 18.
Berry's emergence isn't necessary unexpected; he was the Tar Heels' second-leading scorer last year, after all, and the MVP of the ACC tournament before playing his way onto the All-Final Four team. His early play, though, has matched or even exceeded the most optimistic expectations surrounding him.
The same could be said, overall, for the Tar Heels. In three games they haven't been challenged, which isn't a surprise given the level of competition. Yet to this point they've avoided the early-season malaise _ the lack of intensity, the closer-than-expected games _ that has flustered coach Roy Williams in recent years.
No. 5 UNC (3-0) didn't take long to put away Long Beach State. The Tar Heels scored the first 14 points, and didn't allow the 49ers to score until 12 minutes, 21 seconds remained before halftime. The Tar Heels extended their lead to 21 points with a little more than 6 { minutes left in the first half.
The 49ers (1-2), the favorite to win the Big West Conference, never made the game much more competitive. Williams, meanwhile, experimented with his lineups, as he had during UNC's first two games. For long stretches _ and for nearly half of the first half _ Williams used a smaller lineup. In that lineup Justin Jackson, the junior wing forward, played the power forward position.
Jackson finished with 14 points, his third consecutive game in double figures to start the season. He also had 10 rebounds, his third double-digit rebounding game in three years at UNC. Kennedy Meeks, the senior forward, finished with 15 points. After an efficient first half _ the Tar Heels led 50-27 at halftime _ UNC succumbed to sloppiness during one stretch in the second half.
During one timeout, after the Tar Heels failed to secure the ball on a particularly ugly possession, Williams punched his clipboard out of his grasp. The moment seemed to grab the attention of his players, who quickly extended their lead back to 30 points after Long Beach had cut it to 16.
Earlier in the half, Berry had thrown a long alley-oop pass to Isaiah Hicks, who dunked amid a loud roar in the Smith Center. Later, Berry made an off-balance lay-up while he was fouled. He completed the three-point play, and finished with a few moments that would be likely candidates for his end-of-season highlight reel.
