UNC Basketball: Biggest Takeaway from Tar Heels' Season So Far

Whether this sounds beyond obvious or not, the biggest takeaway from the North Carolina Tar Heels' season has been the fact that it is quite hard to win games without good shooting.

In layman's terms, not making shots is bad for scoring points.

But in all seriousness, the 2014-15 season has been another immense struggle for UNC when it comes to shooting from the outside—despite the at-times dominant nature of the Tar Heels' inside presence. The big boys down low have simply not been enough to compensate for the dearth of shooting.

From two-point range, UNC is No. 1 in the nation in both attempts and makes. This ranking factors in long jumpers as well but is mostly carried by the work in and around the paint.

Conversely, Carolina is a horror show from beyond the arc, ranking 332nd in attempts, 322nd in makes and 339th in percentage. For some sense of nostalgia, the Heels are also just 187th nationally in free-throw percentage.

The shooting from the most valuable spots on the floor has let this team down.

Lance King/Getty Images

One of the main factors has unfortunately been the freshman class. The three new arrivals were supposed to be great offensive assets, each in his own right, but it hasn't worked out for any of them.

Justin Jackson has been good from the same spots as the rest of the team: near the hoop. Outside, Jackson is shooting a ghastly 23.3 percent, somehow making J.P. Tokoto look downright serviceable.

Theo Pinson had been a non-factor from the outside even before his injury sidelined him.

And Joel Berry has followed a similar script. Both before and after his own injury, Berry has been invisible from distance. Opponents don't have to run him off the line and can instead stay in front of his dribble penetration.

It is impossible to know until next season whether these results are fluky freshmen jitters, a learning curve or actual results of the talent level. None of the answers will help this year's squad, though.

The other, and perhaps more crushing, development from this season's shooting woes has been the decline of Marcus Paige's game.

USA TODAY Sports

Paige has not been himself this season. He has battled injuries and double-teams. He's had no choice but to force his offense on occasion. And his numbers reflect it, as his percentages are down across the board from his special sophomore campaign.

From the floor, Paige shot 44.0 percent as a sophomore; that's dipped to 39.7 percent this year. His three-point shooting is down. His foul shooting is down in terms of both attempts and percentage. He is getting to the line fewer than three times a game.

All this isn't to say that Paige has been bad. But with no help, Carolina needed him to be great, and he hasn't been.

At 19-9, the year isn't over, and UNC should find itself playing postseason games come March. However, the results have not lived up to the expectations, and it's easy to locate the culprit.