UNC Basketball: Highs and Lows of Tar Heels' 2015-16 Season So Far

The 2015-16 college basketball regular season is coming to an end, but the North Carolina Tar Heels have already had quite an eventful year to this point.

While the season will ultimately be judged by what the team does in March and possibly April, this doesn't mean you should ignore what has happened so far. The Tar Heels have already had some incredible performances on both the team and individual level as well as a few disappointing struggles in key moments.

Although the inconsistency can be maddening, it has also created some memorable moments. Here is a quick recap of the biggest extremes UNC has seen over the past few months.

Low: Nov. 21—First Wake-Up Call

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

North Carolina was the top team in the preseason rankings, and even without Marcus Paige, the Tar Heels were expected to get through the early part of their schedule with relative ease. This certainly wasn't the case in a road game against Northern Iowa.

The Panthers made 11 three-pointers on their home court as UNC's problems with perimeter defense were just starting. On the other end of the court, no one besides Justin Jackson stepped up, and it led to the first loss of the season for the then-No. 1 team in the country.

This game was the start of what became a crazy season full of upsets, notably Top Five squads losing to unranked opponents. Considering Northern Iowa went 8-10 in its next 18 games, the outcome was even more inexplicable.

From North Carolina's perspective, this game showed the team was not invincible and the season would be a much tougher challenge than some anticipated.

High: Dec. 1—Marcus Paige Returns in a Big Way

G Fiume/Getty Images

Losing Paige to a wrist injury was a deflating way to start the 2015-16 season, but for one night, all was right in Chapel Hill.

Maryland came to town as part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge in what was one of the most anticipated battles of the regular season. While Melo Trimble put on quite a show for the road team, Paige matched him step for step, finishing with 20 points and five assists while shooting 4-of-5 from three-point range.

This was the point guard's first game back from his injury, and it showed just how good the Tar Heels can be when the All-ACC player performs to his ability.

Although Paige has struggled with his consistency since this game, his performance certainly qualifies as one of the best moments of the year.

High: Jan. 4—Brice Johnson Emerges as a Star

Mark Wallheiser/Associated Press

Paige's best individual performance of the season came when he scored 30 points against Florida State, but that was easy to forget because that game belonged to Brice Johnson. The forward was already in the midst of a great season, but he exploded against the Seminoles with 39 points and 23 rebounds in a 106-90 road win. Just for good measure, he also had three blocks and three steals.

Johnson was completely dominant from start to finish, shooting 14-of-16 from the field and being completely unguardable in one of the best individual performances you will see across college basketball.

Beyond the numbers, this ended up being an important game for a number of reasons. It represented North Carolina's first road win of the year while showcasing what the squad is capable of offensively. It also was a bit of a stepping stone for Johnson, who has remained a dominant player since that game.

Although it counts as just one regular-season win against a middling ACC opponent, it was still a big one for the Tar Heels.

Low: Feb. 6—Parity in the ACC

Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Aside from a slip-up against Texas, North Carolina was rolling through December and January. With Paige in the lineup, the Tar Heels had won 14 of their first 15 games, including their first eight in the ACC.

While they seemed well on their way toward cruising to a regular-season league title, consecutive losses to Louisville and Notre Dame brought them back to earth. All of a sudden, a runaway was now a contested race with a lot of teams gunning for the league championship.

Even worse than the actual losses is what the games showed. North Carolina struggled to score against the Cardinals and their great interior defense. The Fighting Irish didn't shoot well but dominated on the offensive glass to get tons of second-chance opportunities.

The back-to-back defeats became a blueprint on how to beat UNC, and it could be something that ends up hurting the squad in the postseason.

Low: Feb. 17—Can't Hold on Against Short-Handed Duke

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Losses to Virginia and Louisville were disappointing but understandable. However, the home loss to Duke is one that will likely sting for a long time.

While the Blue Devils have obvious talent, it was hard to believe they were even in the game against North Carolina. Not only did it take place at the Dean Dome, where the Tar Heels were undefeated coming in, but Duke was undersized and outmanned all night long. A team that already lacked depth saw Matt Jones go down with an injury and Marshall Plumlee struggle with foul trouble.

Despite the odds against them, the Blue Devils scratched and clawed to remain competitive before pulling ahead for the road win.

Meanwhile, North Carolina settled for unnecessary jump shots, couldn't play defense and flat-out deserved to lose. Add this to the fact it was a loss to Duke, and it qualifies as a major low point of the 2015-16 season.

High: Feb. 20—Domination over Miami

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Miami is a good team. The Hurricanes are tied for first place in the ACC at 12-4 with wins over Virginia, Louisville and Duke in conference as well as Utah, Florida and others during the nonconference season. With an experienced backcourt and good balance, they have the ability to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.

And North Carolina destroyed them.

Immediately after the loss to Duke, the Tar Heels bounced back with an incredible shooting display, scoring 96 points on 54.2 percent from the field. This all contributed to a 25-point win over one of the best teams in the nation.

The reason many still have faith in North Carolina being one of the top contenders for a national title is efforts like this against elite opponents.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.