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

The North Carolina Tar Heels have had some setbacks this season, but their play has taught us they remain one of the top teams in the nation.

After a 21-point win over Pittsburgh Panthers on Sunday, North Carolina moved to 21-4 overall and 10-2 in the ACC, good enough for first place in the conference. If UNC plays to its ability, it can win a league title and possibly much more.

However, there are still some question marks about the Tar Heels as a team and individual players that won't be answered until the year comes to an end. At least by now, we have learned quite a bit about this squad. Here is a look at the biggest takeaways so far this year.

Road Games Are Difficult

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This isn't unique to the Tar Heels, but they have certainly felt the effects. It seems like every team in college basketball, no matter how good, has suffered some major setbacks on the road during this season.

North Carolina had a difficult three-game stretch recently that featured road matchups against the Louisville Cardinals, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Boston College Eagles. It wasn't all that surprising that games against Louisville and Notre Dame ended up being close losses to tough teams, although the trip to BC ended up being almost as difficult. UNC barely escaped with a three-point win.

UNC has four losses on the year, all coming in true road games. Not even the wins against Virginia Tech and Syracuse came easy.

While the postseason games won't be played in such hostile environments, they won't be in Chapel Hill, either. North Carolina has to figure out how to be more consistent away from home if it wants to reach its goals.

Passing Is Key to Offense

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The blowout win over Pittsburgh featured some of the best offense we have seen from UNC in weeks. The key was the great passing from everyone on the floor to create better looks at the basket.

North Carolina finished with 26 assists on 32 made baskets in the win. Six different players finished with at least three assists. The result was 59.3 percent shooting from the field and 8-of-15 from three-point range.

The Tar Heels have struggled shooting the ball lately, ranking dead last in the ACC at 28.1 percent from behind the arc in conference games. One of the problems has been the players trying to do too much on their own. There were only 11 assists in the loss to Louisville and 14 in the narrow win over Boston College.

If the squad can get back to passing the ball like it did earlier in the year and like it showed against Pittsburgh, this offense will be tough to stop.

Offensive Balance Remains Impressive

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One of the most impressive parts of North Carolina's season has been the offensive balance and depth.

Brice Johnson, Marcus Paige, Joel Berry II, Justin Jackson and Kennedy Meeks have double-digit averages in points per game, while Isaiah Hicks is just behind them at 9.6 points per game. Perhaps most impressive, though, is the ability of different players to step up at different times.

Johnson has clearly been the go-to option in the majority of games this year, but he isn't the only one making plays.

Jackson led the way in scoring with 20 points against Boston College and has played better recently. Paige was the high scorer with 21 points in the loss to Notre Dame. Meeks has struggled lately, but even he came through with a big outing against the North Carolina State Wolfpack, finishing with 23 points and six rebounds.

Having multiple offensive weapons is one of the reasons the squad remains a top contender to bring home a national title.

Rebounding Is Becoming a Problem

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Defense has been inconsistent at best this year, but one of the major question marks in recent weeks has been poor rebounding.

Louisville had 15 offensive rebounds in the win over North Carolina while Notre Dame had 20. Even Pittsburgh finished with 19 offensive boards compared to just one for the home team. Considering the frontcourt talent in Johnson, Meeks and Hicks, poor rebounding is not something one would expect.

The Tar Heels can't afford to give extra possessions when they already allow so many open looks at the basket. Holding a team to one shot per possession would provide a major boost to the defense and lead to a lot more wins against top opponents.

As good as the offense has been this year, improved defense and rebounding will go a long way.

No More Easy Games

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If we have learned anything from the 2015-16 season, it's that being a top team is dangerous. The rankings have fluctuated all year long thanks to the parity across college basketball with no team separating itself from the pack.

North Carolina will not have an easy time escaping a similar fate in the final six games of the regular season.

Five of the next six games are against teams in the RPI top 50, including difficult home games against the Duke Blue Devils (Feb. 17) and the Miami Hurricanes (Feb. 20).

It will be even tougher going on the road against the Virginia Cavaliers (Feb. 27), Duke (March 5) and North Carolina State (Feb. 24). While the latter two haven't been quite as good as expected this year, you can be certain those rivals will do what they can to pull off an upset.

UNC remains the favorite in the ACC, but there will be no more gimmes on the schedule.

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