UNC Basketball: Early Storylines to Follow in Tar Heels' 2015-16 Season

The 2015-16 college basketball season is off to a good start for the North Carolina Tar Heels, but it's important to keep a close eye on the weekly progress of the national title contender.

After a 91-67 win over Temple and a 92-65 victory over Fairfield, the squad has one more relatively easy battle against Wofford. This leads into a much more difficult nonconference stretch, with matchups against Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Maryland, Davidson and Texas. Any of these games could be potential traps for the No. 1 team in the nation.

While the main story during this stretch will be the Tar Heels' attempt to stay undefeated, a few specific factors will be interesting to follow, as well. The success in these areas will help determine whether the squad can keep winning or struggle against tougher opponents.

Here is a look at the top storylines to follow through the early part of the season.

Can Nate Britt Continue His Hot Shooting?

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One of the biggest problems for last year's team was the inefficient three-point shooting outside of Marcus Paige. With the point guard out for the first few weeks, this area could have been a disaster for North Carolina.

Fortunately, Nate Britt has stepped up off the bench and been one of the most pleasant surprises after the first week.

The guard scored 32 points over the first two games while shooting 7-of-10 from beyond the arc. He is earning more playing time and becoming a go-to offensive weapon on the perimeter.

While Britt did hit 36.6 percent of three-point attempts last year, consistency was a major problem while his playing time fluctuated. Now that he is getting regular minutes, he could become a bigger factor. He obviously won't hit 70 percent from deep all year, but anywhere near 40 percent from him would give the Tar Heels a boost throughout the year.

What's Wrong with Justin Jackson?

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If Nate Britt has been one of the best surprises, arguably the biggest disappointment so far has been the play of Justin Jackson.

While it is still early and important not to overreact to two games, the wing has been almost invisible so far for the Tar Heels. He scored just four points in the opening win over Temple while shooting 2-of-7 from the field. He improved with 11 points against Fairfield, although he failed to bring in a single rebound, which almost seems impossible for a 6'8" player on the court for 23 minutes.

In two games, the sophomore has shot 0-of-6 from three-point range and 1-of-5 from the free-throw line.

With or without Marcus Paige in the lineup, Jackson was expected to make a big jump this season. The former McDonald's All-American had a strong end to his freshman year and is a serious mismatch on the offensive end. North Carolina can survive against weaker opponents without him, but Jackson will need to step up when the competition gets tougher.

Is Free-Throw Shooting a Problem?

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North Carolina defeated Fairfield by 27 points, but it was a lot closer than it should have been for much of the second half. A lot of this was due to poor free-throw shooting, with the team starting 12-of-26 from the charity stripe.

The Tar Heels eventually made their final six free throws to help pull away from the MAAC school, but through two games, they have shot 61.8 percent as a team from the line. This is a big drop from the 70.1 percent we saw last season.

With the way the team plays, including a heavy reliance on frontcourt scoring from Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks, there are likely going to be a lot of free-throw opportunities this season. The players have to make sure they convert on these extra points or else it could severely impact the squad in close games.

The poor shooting could just be a fluke, but it is something that should be monitored going forward.

Will Freshmen Carve out More Playing Time?

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Roy Williams is used to having big contributions from freshmen, but it seems like this class will struggle to get onto the floor.

Even in a pair of relative blowouts, Kenny Williams and Luke Maye spent most of their time on the bench. Williams played six minutes in each of the first two games, while Maye has played eight total. Although each player had one or two plays where he showed what he could do, it wasn't much of an opportunity to prove himself.

It's possible the coaching staff is simply bringing the duo along slowly. Williams and Maye are certainly less heralded than other recruits who have come to Chapel Hill in the past decade. They could be factors later in their careers or even toward the end of this season.

However, these nonconference games against weaker opponents are usually the time to see what you can get from the unknowns in your lineup. If the freshmen can't get on the floor now, they might never get a chance.

Can Anyone Compete with the Frontcourt?

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Neither Temple nor Fairfield had the size to compete with North Carolina down low, especially with Temple playing without starting forward Obi Enechionyia. In reality, few teams will have the size and talent to battle the Tar Heels in the post.

This will lead to a lot of easy wins against simply overmatched opponents.

Through two games, Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks are averaging a combined 32.5 points and 22 rebounds per game. They aren't just running the floor and finishing fast breaks, they are creating points on their own and giving themselves extra chances with offensive rebounds. There were some questions about defensive rebounding against Fairfield, but this duo, along with Isaiah Hicks and Joel James off the bench, will be tough for any team to handle for 40 minutes.

Of course, this group will still be tested in the early part of the season. Nonconference opponents like Maryland, Texas and UCLA all have talent in the frontcourt and will provide a challenge on both ends of the court. 

If the Tar Heels can consistently win in the post, however, it will be a great sign for the rest of the season.

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