Off the cuff: Perhaps the Tar Heels were a little tight on Senior Night. Perhaps Syracuse is getting better as its recent record indicates. Perhaps the Tar Heels aren't that good. But no one can deny that Carolina is tops in the ACC and going for the league's outright title at Duke Saturday night in a revenge game. The emotions were so great for the seniors, especially Marcus Paige, whose voice quivered throughout a post-game speech at the Smith Center. He spoke last after fellow classmates Joel James and Brice Johnson. "I'm a little more emotional than those guys so this is going to be tough for me," Paige said as he started his comments. He thanked his parents and grandfather and teammates, especially four-year roommate Brice Johnson, and coaches, especially head coach Roy Williams. Paige came to Carolina expecting to spend a year or two under the tutelage of Kendall Marshall but when Marshall surprised many by going pro, he had to step into the spotlight. Speaking directly to Coach Williams, he said, "A lot of people were down on me as a freshman but you always believed in me. I can't thank you enough for that. You gave me confidence and helped me grow as a person." Straining to speak, Paige said, "You made me 10 times a better man that I was when I got here." All three seniors pointed to more that has to be done this season. "We're a game away from accomplishing something really big," Paige said. "We're not done. We;ve got something else to do." Johnson said, "I'm ready to go into Cameron (Indoor Stadium) on Saturday and get the win, get the championship."
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