Matt Harrelson
Walking off the Smith Center court Monday, Joel Berry II reflected on the time he's spent there, typically alone.
Those moments, he said, helped him through the most difficult parts of his North Carolina career. And after the Tar Heels' 83-66 win over Notre Dame, he thought back on them, knowing he and Theo Pinson's final home game, a 9 p.m. contest against Miami on February 27, looms large.
"There have been plenty of times where I walked out there on that court, and I was struggling and things weren't going my way," Berry said Monday night. "I just think about that each and every time and how much time and effort I put in on that court by myself. It's just crazy that one game is left, and that senior night is going to be really emotional for me.
"But I'm just trying to do my best to soak everything in and enjoy this team and enjoy what's going on and trying to do my best to lead this team back to where we want to be - and that's making another Final Four. I think we have the team to be able to do that."
I think he's right.
Just two weeks ago, the Tar Heels suffered a third straight defeat at Clemson. It marked the first time UNC dropped three consecutive games since January 2014, a few months before Berry and Pinson arrived in Chapel Hill as freshmen. Some fans even expressed concerns about the team missing the NCAA Tournament.
But like most Roy Williams-coached teams, the Tar Heels, now riding a four-game winning streak, appear to be peaking at the right time.
UNC has especially excelled at finishing games. After making their final 10 field goals to beat NC State on Saturday, the Heels answered an 11-2 run by Notre Dame with a 25-9 spurt to close out Monday's game. Pinson scored nine points during that stretch; Berry had six.
For the game, Pinson continued his stellar all-around play, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Berry scored a team-high 21 points, despite a sore wisdom tooth.
Williams called him a "tough little nut," and if that wasn't evident enough Monday, it's shown in previous weeks, as he and Pinson attempted to lead a team that longed for consistency in January. UNC finally seems to have found that.
During Monday's game, Berry (1,651 points) passed Kenny Smith (1,636) for 21st in UNC career scoring. The guard moved ahead of Walter Davis into 15th in career assists against Duke.
Pinson joined Berry in the 350-assist club, which includes 22 players, on Monday. With 462 rebounds as a Tar Heel, Pinson, Davis and Ed Cota are the only players in school history to record at least 450 rebounds and 350 assists.
These achievements aren't driving Berry and Pinson, but they both understand their chances of making any further contributions in a UNC uniform are dwindling.
Four games remain in the regular season. Then comes the ACC Tournament. A likely NCAA Tournament berth also awaits Berry and Pinson, who could become the Tar Heels' all-time leaders in NCAA Tournament wins with another strong postseason run, as they`re prone to make.
More memories await them. But inside the Smith Center in two weeks, they'll start saying their goodbyes.
