C.L. Brown, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Nate Britt delivers when Tar Heels hurting most

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Many thought Nate Britt would drop in North Carolina's rotation with the addition of freshman guard Joel Berry II.

He didn't.

Others still thought it a desperation move when Britt switched shooting hands from his left to his right over the summer.

It wasn't.

The Tar Heels didn't consider Britt as the solution to their search for an outside shooter to complement Marcus Paige. But now?

They just might.

Britt delivered the message to Syracuse on Monday night, scoring a career-high 17 points, including four 3-pointers, during the Tar Heels' 93-83 victory. He's now shooting 7-for-15 from behind the arc in ACC play.

It's pretty timely, too. With injuries to Berry and Theo Pinson, the Heels are short on their perimeter rotation. That means more playing time for Britt, who sometimes is in a lineup in which he's the only true guard with a bunch of forwards.

"We've got to have some other guys make shots," Paige said. "Nate being able to knock down shots adds an extra element so we don't have to rely on the same guys every night, 'cause that's not always a given."

Britt hasn't been a given this season. The No. 0 jersey he wears might as well stand for overlooked. Yet Britt finds a way to deliver for the Heels just when he's counted out.

"I started wearing zero my freshman year of high school," Britt said. "The area where I'm from, a lot of guys are naysayers, and I felt like I had a lot of those people when I was coming up through high school. It's just a constant reminder that I have to try to prove myself every night."

Britt received 15 stitches in his upper lip after a collision at the close of the Heels' win over Wake Forest on Jan. 21. He said it still hurts to eat and to talk. But he's got plenty to gloat about after helping power the Heels past the Orange.

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim called Britt the "difference-maker" in the game. It got to the point where the Orange defenders were giving him full respect as a knockdown shooter, scrambling to close out on him.

Britt isn't exactly used to that. He was just 3-of-12 all of last season from 3-point range.

This season he'd gone through a three-game stretch against NC State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest in which he was 2-for-14 from the field.

"This was almost like being a freshman again, shooting-wise," Britt said. "Everyone goes through spells when they can't hit shots. This was kind of like the same thing over and over again for me, so for me to be able to knock down shots felt good."

Britt never got out of his shooting slump as a freshman, shooting 36.7 percent from the floor. He had such a hitch in his shot that Roy Williams approached his dad in the offseason about changing it. Since making the unheard of switch from his left hand to his right, Britt has never wavered -- although he hasn't automatically started to light it up.

"His release looks great, and his left-handed release because of the hitch he had never looked great," Williams said. "I've never doubted that decision, and I'm so proud of him for going along with me.

"He's been struggling, but the little rascal was a big-time player for us tonight."

Britt's struggles included off the court, where his paternal grandfather passed away the night of the Heels' win over NC State. Ned Britt lived in La Grange, North Carolina, and got to spend more time with one of his favorite grandkids since Nate Britt enrolled at Carolina.

"I know he's watching; I feel like he's my guardian angel," Britt said. "I could attribute this game to him. I feel like he's always with me now."

And with a bit of confidence behind him, Britt will quietly go about trying to silence those who still doubt him.

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