Entering North Carolina’s national championship game against Villanova on Monday night, seniors Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson had combined for 3,525 points, 1,421 rebounds and 728 assists.
Johnson had played in 147 games, and Paige in 140. Paige will leave UNC having started in all but two of the games he has played in, while the national championship game represents Johnson’s 80th career start.
It has been an evolution, and a long journey, for both players – and for Joel James, another senior who arrived at UNC in the same recruiting class as Johnson and Paige. Here’s a look back at the stories of Johnson, Paige and James:
Has a player ever progressed as much as Johnson did during his four years at UNC?