Luke Maye's 21 Points Lead Balanced UNC Past North Carolina State

After a shaky start to the season, North Carolina appears to be rounding into form just in time to contend at the top of the ACC.

Luke Maye had 21 points and 11 rebounds and Cameron Johnson had a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double before exiting with a leg injury, leading the Tar Heels to a 90-82 win over rival NC State on Tuesday.

All five North Carolina starters were in double figures, atoning for a disappointing nine-point effort from the bench. 

Braxton Beverly scored a team-high 21 points off the bench for NC State, which had a polar opposite experience. C.J. Bryce led all Wolfpack starters with 13 points; their bench picked up the slack with 43 points.

UNC Needs More Consistency from Luke Maye to Contend for National Title

North Carolina's most pressing concern right now is the health of Johnson, who looked seriously hobbled when he left the game in the second half. Johnson has been the best offensive player on the team all season and has emerged as one of college basketball's best deep threats.

That said, Maye needs to more consistently take over games—even if Johnson's injury proves minor. Maye entered the season as a legitimate contender for national player of the year. His breakout junior campaign came almost out of nowhere and set the expectations high for 2018-19.

Maye hasn't delivered. This was just his second 20-point game since he opened the year with a big 24-point effort against Wofford.

Luckily, these two instances have come in big moments. Maye put up 20 points and 16 rebounds in last month's win over Gonzaga, and his 21 points paced the Heels on Tuesday.

Keep in mind that last season, Maye had his third 20-point game on Nov. 23. His shooting splits have taken a dip in every major category aside from free-throw percentage. 

Egalitarian scoring reduces North Carolina's margin of error. This is gonna be a team that is, at worst, a fourth seed.

If the Heels want to get to title contention and in the conversation with Duke, though, Maye needs to be a superstar. Duke has three players who can single-handedly take over the scoring load at any time. North Carolina has one—and his performance level isn't there on a nightly basis.

North Carolina will have to hope Tuesday was the start of something more consistent. 

Depth Will Keep NC State in ACC Contention

The bad: No NC State starter made half of his shots.

The good: NC State's bench made 54.8 percent of its shots.

The Wolfpack have been among the nation's most unselfish teams all season. No NC State player averages more than 26 minutes per game, and the rotation has 10 guys averaging at least 12.9 minutes. 

The constant freshness and ferocity proved difficult for North Carolina, which relies heavily on its starters. NC State's bench outscored North Carolina's 43-9. The Tar Heels hemorrhaged points when Roy Williams tried giving his starters a breather, and Beverly played the game of his life knocking down five triples.

NC State's lack of size, of course, plays a large factor in both how the team plays and need for constant rotational shuffling. The Wolfpack start four guards and played only two guys over 6'7" against North Carolina.

The Heels took advantage of their size discrepancy to the tune of 51 rebounds, but Wolfpack's relentlessness kept them in the game. 

This team isn't going to compete for a national championship, but the 13-1 start isn't a fluke. NC State is here to stay this season and is well-rounded enough to make it into the second weekend of the tournament if the depth holds. 

What's Next?

North Carolina hosts Louisville and NC State hosts Pitt on Saturday.