Why an angry Brice Johnson is good for North Carolina's NCAA tournament push

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Roy Williams' default public persona is a cornpone folksiness, most of which he comes by naturally as a native of the western portion of this state.

But that was not Folksy Roy tearing into big man Brice Johnson in the first half of North Carolina's Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinal against Louisville Thursday. That was one angry Appalachian. Williams had seen quite enough of his 6-foot-9 junior shrinking from the fighting against the physical Cardinals.

His team was losing, and his most talented frontcourt player was not measuring up.

"At that point it wasn't a coaching ploy," Williams said postgame, reverted by then to folksy form with a 70-60 comeback victory in hand. "It was just that I was extremely frustrated."

Mr. Johnson, your assessment?

"It was kind of my fault anyways. I didn't sprint back on a few possessions before he did snap," Johnson said. "I mean, he kind of deserves to do that, so I really can't say much about that. It's my fault and I had to pay the consequences."

Back to you, Folksy Roy.

"I like the way you said that the second time," Williams said, smiling at Johnson. "Did you hear what he said the first time? He said it was kind of his fault. The second time he said it was his fault. I love him to death. He drives me crazy, but I love him to death."

Understandable that Williams could at times think that coaching Johnson would be the death of him. Johnson is athletic, skilled and has a friendly personality – and sometimes he can simply disappear.

For two years, there were stretches of great play interspersed with stretches of vacant play. When that pattern continued into Johnson's third season, it became a bigger issue.

There was the two-point, foul-ridden performance in a loss to Iowa. Nine points on 3-of-11 shooting in a loss to Notre Dame. Two points and a foul-out in a loss at Louisville. Four points in a loss to North Carolina State.

And there have been enough slow starts that teammate Marcus Paige said the Heels have taken to calling him "Second Half Johnson."

"We've just got to get him there sooner," Paige said.

By "there," he means active and engaged. Because the Brice Johnson who blew up after intermission on the Cardinals would really be something if he's playing like that all game.

Johnson scored 18 points in the second half to finish with a game-high 22, plus seven rebounds. He fractured the middle of the Louisville zone, ran the floor and made his free throws – a season-high eight makes in a season-high-tying nine attempts.

Johnson had attempted a total of three free throws in the previous four games. That hints at some occasionally missing assertiveness.

In postseason play, coaches can lose patience with players whose intensity comes with an on-off switch. It's getting late. Which is why Williams had had enough of Johnson.

"I was more than a little bit ticked off," Johnson said after being blown up on the bench by his coach. "It was probably the maddest I've been in a while.

"When your manhood is questioned, it kind of hurts your feelings. I got a little heated. I know I messed up, but gosh, don't do that. Everyone in the stands was watching, it made me look bad. But I kind of deserved it.

"I messed up. I played soft."

There was no soft in the second half. Along with Kennedy Meeks, who was a game-time decision after missing UNC's game Wednesday night because of illness, the Tar Heels won the battle inside against Louisville's Montrezl Harrell and the usual array of overmatched centers.

The Cardinals' biggest problem in this game at the center spot was offensively. North Carolina went zone and Louisville shut down, in part because it didn't have an effective high-post option. Starting center Chinanu Onuaku and backup Mangok Mathiang cannot catch, shoot nor pass effectively from that spot, and afterward Rick Pitino sounded like he's willing to give third-stringer Anas Mahmoud more of a chance in the NCAA tournament.

Mahmoud is far more skilled offensively but is more easily pushed around defensively and on the glass. But at this point, Louisville is one more decent zone defense away from the offseason.

"I think I've got to make a change at the five spot to try to get more offense into our five position," Pitino said. "Too many doughnuts on certain nights, so we'll probably have to make a change there."

North Carolina didn't need to change personnel inside Thursday to get better results. It just had to motivate the personnel it had.

And if Brice Johnson stays motivated for the rest of the season, the Tar Heels will be a very tough out in this tournament and the next one.