Carolina turns Paige loose, routs the Hoosiers

Philadelphia -- Marcus Paige recalled Michael Jordan, another Tar Heel, on that night in 1992 when he hit six 3-pointers in the first half of Game 2 of the NBA finals. When No. 6 sailed true, the great man turned to the TV announcers and shrugged. (Guessing you've seen that one.)

For the record, Marcus Paige hit only four treys in the first half here against Indiana, and these were fairly breathtaking themselves. Paige has had a difficult season shooting. (He had a bit of an excuse; he broke a metacarpal in his right hand in November.) Before Friday night, he'd made only 33 percent of his treys, the worst percentage in his four North Carolina seasons. Here in the Elite Eight, he sank four in the first five minutes, scoring 12 of the Heels' first 14 points.

That sigh you heard emanating from the folks wearing baby blue was a gust of relief. If Paige makes 3-pointers, Carolina is the nation's best team. It has a massive front line, but on some losing nights the Heels' absence of perimeter shooting has rendered them imbalanced. They entered the Sweet Sixteen ranked 303rd nationally in 3-point shooting. On this night, they made their first seven.