UNC Basketball: Biggest Takeaways from 2014 Battle 4 Atlantis

The floppy hats and sunscreen have been put away after a week in the tropics, as North Carolina returned Saturday from the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas with some souvenirs as well as its first loss of the season.

The Tar Heels also got some answers to questions that their earlier games couldn't provide, particularly related to how they would handle a team willing to fight harder than them and how the supporting cast would fare when star Marcus Paige wasn't in the offensive mix. What coach Roy Williams saw pleased him at times and irked him at others, particularly during the opening loss to Butler that relegated UNC to the loser's bracket.

Carolina rebounded to beat UCLA and then Florida, a pair of ranked teams, to finish fifth overall, while Wisconsin beat Oklahoma in the championship game and Butler knocked off Georgetown for third place.

Here's what else can we take from UNC's performance in the Bahamas:

Paige Can't Wait Until Late

Marcus Paige showed many times during last season his ability to seem almost nonexistent for 30 or so minutes and then suddenly flip a switch to explode offensively down the stretch. The hope was this wouldn't need to happen in 2014-15 with a more balanced supporting cast.

But in the 74-66 loss to Butler, Paige scored 11 of his 18 points in the final 3:35 of play. That wasn't enough, though, as Butler held its lead throughout Paige's late surge.

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

There wasn't a delay in Paige's production in the next two Bahamas games, as he spread out his season-high 21 points against UCLA throughout the game, and then against Florida, he had seven of his 16 points in the first half and mostly deferred to teammates after halftime until he needed to make shots from the foul line late.

Paige is leading the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game, but behind that the scoring balance is evident. Kennedy Meeks is at 13.8, Justin Jackson is at 11.7, and Brice Johnson averages 11.5.

"Our focus is pretty much just share the ball," J.P. Tokoto told Adam Lucas of GoHeels.com. "Move it around, get touches to everybody and whoever has a good shot, take it."

If those players, and others, continue to produce on an everyday basis, Paige won't need to be the late-game hero.

Defense Still Matters

UNC might be more balanced when it comes to its offense, but that diversity also needs to be there on the defensive end in order for the wins to keep coming. Shoddy play defending the ball and boxing out on rebounds were critical factors against Butler, which only shot 30.6 percent but had a massive 57-40 rebounding advantage, including 29 offensive boards.

Williams was so miffed by the effort in that game that his lineup for the loser's bracket semifinal against UCLA featured Isaiah Hicks, Joel James and Nate Britt in place of Johnson, Meeks and Tokoto. The people they replaced all ended up playing more minutes, but the message was received, as UNC forced 23 turnovers and limited the Bruins to 1-of-14 three-point shooting in the 78-56 win.

Against Florida, it was the old starting lineup but more of the renewed defensive effort, as UNC held the Gators to 32.8 percent shooting and just 22.2 percent on 27 three-point attempts in the 75-64 victory.

Expect the defensive lockdown to transfer over from the islands with Wednesday's visit from Iowa in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Meeks Is Making Strides

The Battle 4 Atlantis provided forward Kennedy Meeks with three more chances to show his progress and development, and for the most part, he didn't disappoint.

Meeks averaged 11 points and 8.3 rebounds while making 13 of 22 field goals, with his 18-point, 13-rebound performance against Florida giving him a third double-double in six games this season.

The 6'9" sophomore has shed nearly 50 pounds from his frame in the past year, enabling him to stay on the court longer and show more athleticism.

Hicks' Emergence Bodes Well

The Tar Heels player who made the biggest strides in paradise was Hicks, the 6'8" sophomore who averaged only 1.2 points and 1.0 rebounds last season. He's up to 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds this year after scoring 24 points with nine boards in the three Battle 4 Atlantis games.

Hicks made 11 of 18 field goals, including a 5-of-7 effort in his start against UCLA.

UNC's frontcourt depth and development is a key point of emphasis this season, and Hicks' rise is helping that effort.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.