Every game the Tar Heels win with Marcus Paige out of the lineup is its own victory worth celebrating.
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It was a nice gesture.
Northern Iowa pulled off the first truly shocking upset of the college basketball season Saturday. So, presumably, the Wildcats will be that new No. 1. If the Tar Heels (3-0) can remain ideal until Paige’s return then this will be a very unsafe team for other top opponents to manage. He was introduced to the crowd pregame but did not play.
Final: Panthers 71, Tar Heels 67.
In a young season loaded with upsets, the most stunning may have come Saturday with the No. 1 team in the country tasting defeat for the first time.
UNI trailed North Carolina 41-32 at halftime and trailed by 16 a couple minutes into the second half.
Northern Iowa made 11 of 28 3-point attempts. North Carolina would like to get guard Justin Jackson going, though, as the 3-point specialist is 0-for-9 from long range and averaging only 6.7 points after scoring 10.7 per game as a freshman a year ago.
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In fact, Northern Iowa’s senior point guard played the game of his life while cutting top-ranked North Carolina down to size.
