Although North Carolina fell to No. 3 seed Iowa State in a heartbreaker on Sunday, Tar Heel fans received some positive news on Monday night as sophomore point guard Marcus Paige took to Twitter to announce his return next season.
Time to move on and focus on improving this offseason. Next year has a chance to be special!
— Marcus Paige (@marcuspaige5) March 25, 2014
This is very big news for Roy Williams’ club as Paige was the team’s most important player this season. Along with averaging 17.5 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals, the sophomore floor general was also North Carolina’s only perimeter threat as he shot 38.9 percent from the three-point line as he knocked down 86 three-pointers -- double the amount that second-place holder Leslie McDonald made.
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The 6-foot-1 lefty also shot 87 percent from the free-throw line for a team that struggled from the line and a respectable 44 percent from the field. Next season, Paige will be a major candidate to be a preseason All-American and his return makes North Carolina a credible threat.
North Carolina fans will now await the announcement of junior forward James Michael McAdoo and what his future holds.