UNC Basketball: The Most Impressive Players in Tar Heels' Postseason so Far

Though they have only played two tournament games thus far, the North Carolina Tar Heels have gotten some interesting and perhaps even unexpected performances heading through to the Sweet 16.

Against Harvard, seemingly the entire roster played very well and overly sloppy at the same time. Against Arkansas, a win came down to a few players rising about the fracas.

With No. 1 seed Wisconsin on the horizon, it's time to take a closer look at who's been most responsible for North Carolina being where it is right now. These are the Tar Heels' most impressive players in the postseason so far.

Justin Jackson

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Justin Jackson was the team's leading scorer against Harvard. He hit the most field goals and shot 50 percent from the floor. He also went a solid 2-of-2 from the three-point line, a place that has been his enemy this season.

There were a few turnovers to his name in this one, but Jackson made up for it by scoring the winning baskets at the end of the ballgame. It was the type of performance to expect from a player who's started all season but not one that would have been expected from a freshman.

Next round, Jackson continued his hot play, scoring 16 points in a team-high 37 minutes. In a game where neither team's frontcourt could stay out of foul trouble, Jackson managed to play nearly the entire contest. He also got to the line six times and shot 6-of-13 from the field.

Considering the up-and-down nature of many of his teammates throughout the NCAA tournament thus far, it wouldn't be outrageous to call Jackson North Carolina's most outstanding performer to this point.

Marcus Paige

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Marcus Paige scored just 12 points against the Crimson, but he hit a couple of big shots down the stretch to lead UNC to victory. He tallied those dozen points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor, which included nailing half of his four three-point attempts. Paige also chipped in with six assists and just one turnover in the game.

In the round of 32, Paige got off to a slow start but picked things up in the second half. He scored 20 of his team-leading 22 points in the second half as the Tar Heels pulled away from Arkansas late.

Paige's peripheral numbers were tremendous in this one. Although he somehow finished without an assist, he grabbed six rebounds and five steals while making three of the team's four three-pointers and going an amazing 9-of-9 from the foul line.

These two performances are what we've come to expect from Carolina's leader. He doesn't always show up for the full 40 minutes, but he brings it when the game is on the line and when his teammates need him most.

Jate Berritt

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Neither Joel Berry or Nate Britt put together two stellar performances in the tournament thus far. However, their combined output has been just what North Carolina needed. And they've done so on alternating nights so as to get the most out of the backup point guard position.

Against Harvard, it was Berry on display. He was pretty much the only reserve guard who garnered minutes in this one. Britt saw just one minute of action. Meanwhile, Berry played 13 minutes, hit a couple of baskets, grabbed a few rebounds and didn't commit a single turnover or foul.

Isaiah Hicks was the only substitute to play more minutes than Berry against the Crimson. The next time out, the roles were reversed.

Against the Razorbacks, Berry was just OK, scoring six points but turning the ball over three times and not adding much else to the box score. Britt, though, took the reins. He was the busiest sub of the night, playing 23 minutes.

He scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds, hit a three and connected on all five of his free throws.

J.P. Tokoto also had a very nice game against Arkansas, but it was too confusing to try to squeeze his name into this one as well. The most impressive performances were from the backup guards who've been overshadowed for much of the year anyway.