Guard Melo Trimble dribbles the ball on a fast break when the Terps defeated Georgetown, 75-71, at Xfinity Center on Nov. 17, 2015.

Terrapins men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon doesn’t know the capacity in which Marcus Paige will make his season debut. He may start. He may come off the bench. All Turgeon knows is North Carolina’s star point guard will play Tuesday against the No. 2 Terps.

The Terps are preparing accordingly for the senior, an All-ACC player the past two seasons. Turgeon expects Paige to play starter minutes, even if he doesn’t begin the game on the floor. 

While there’s no tape on Paige this season — he missed the No. 9 Tar Heels’ first six games with a broken right hand — Terps guard Melo Trimble knows what to expect. Trimble said he watched Paige on television numerous times last year, and he’s heard the comparisons to Paige. 

They were both named preseason conference players of the year this fall, though Trimble said he doesn’t see the similarities because he’s right-handed and Paige is left-handed.

Tuesday, the two talented guards will face off. In a game featuring two top-10 teams, the matchup between Trimble and Paige is one of the most intriguing positional battles. Trimble said Monday he didn’t want to focus on individual matchups, but he appeared to be looking forward to the challenge.  

“I know he’s going to bring his A-game,” Trimble said, “just like I’m going to bring my A-game.”

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Trimble will likely get help from his starting backcourt partner, Rasheed Sulaimon. The graduate transfer’s ball-handling skills alleviate some pressure on Trimble. Plus, Sulaimon may guard Paige for stretches Tuesday.

While Trimble has watched Paige on television, Sulaimon has played against Paige in college. Sulaimon transferred from Duke to this university in the summer, and as a Blue Devil, Sulaimon faced Paige four times.

During Paige’s six-game absence, the Tar Heels, who were the preseason No. 1 team, went 5-1. They fell, 71-61, to Northern Iowa on Nov. 21. 

But otherwise, the Tar Heels have performed admirably in Paige’s absence, winning all five other games by 10 points or more. 

While Tuesday will be Paige’s first game appearance since March 26, Turgeon doesn’t expect any rustiness.

“It’s his off hand,” Turgeon said of the guard’s injury. “He’s probably been practicing. He’s probably in pretty good shape. It wasn’t an ankle or a knee.”

Paige’s return will help the Tar Heels’ perimeter shooting, Turgeon said. North Carolina has made 32.1 percent of its 3-pointers this season, while Paige is a 38.1 percent three-point shooter in his career. 

“The one thing they have struggled a little bit in is shooting threes,” Turgeon said. “He’s a good 3-pointer shooter, so that helps stretch the floor for them.”

While Paige was out, forward Justin Jackson emerged as the primary option on offense. The sophomore’s scoring average is up four points this season, and he leads the Tar Heels with 14.7 points per game. He’s also one of four players who are averaging double-digit points.

So Paige’s return adds more depth to an already talented team, Turgeon said. And the Tar Heels’ full arsenal will be on display Tuesday for the first time this season. 

“There’s a reason they were preseason No. 1,” Turgeon said. “They have really good players.”