Takeaways from the Tar Heels' 100-67 win over The Citadel

Notable observations and analysis from the Tar Heels' second win in a row.

After its second blowout win in a row, UNC is back on a winning streak. 

The Tar Heels defeated The Citadel 100-67 on Tuesday night in an impressive offensive showing. 

Caleb Love led the team with 17 points on 6-10 shooting and six assists. Armando Bacot had yet another double-double, passing Billy Cunningham for the most double-figure rebound games in program history with 62. 

For UNC, there were a lot of good things to reflect on from this game before competition ramps up on the weekend. Here's some takeaways from Tuesday's win. 

Good things happen when you pass the ball

In arguably its best offensive performance this year, UNC just so happened to record a new season-high in single-game assists. 

The Tar Heels racked up 24 assists, besting their previous high of 17 against Portland back in November. Seth Trimble dished out a season-high of five assists, and Caleb Love matched his season- high of six.

Before Tuesday night, UNC averaged 11 assists per game, which was the third-worst assist per game total in the ACC. 

Ball movement has been a prominent issue to start the season, especially during the four game losing streak. In that stretch, UNC averaged 9.5 assists per outing as the offense was characterized by very minimal passing and some questionable shot selection. Against Indiana and Virginia Tech, UNC recorded only five and six assists, respectively. 

In a press conference days after the loss to Indiana, Hubert Davis said all the team talked about was "a combination of ball movement and player movement."

Against The Citadel, it seemed as if the message was delivered. The Tar Heels appeared more intentional with finding the best shot available and didn't hesitate to feed Bacot down low. 

The offense hummed all night as The Citadel struggled to contain open looks from both the paint and from deep due to UNC shifting their defense and making the right passes. 

Finally, the threes are falling

It's not surprising the Tar Heels piled on the points on Tuesday considering they made the most threes in a single-game this season. 

UNC hit 15 shots from beyond the arc, shooting 48 percent from deep. 

Nance was the most efficient, hitting three of four three-point attempts. Love made four and Tyler Nickel also made three. 

Before the outstanding three-point performance against The Citadel, UNC was underwhelming from downtown, shooting only 29 percent from three. This has been one of the troubling issues for the team early on as the addition of a great shooter in Nance was expected to bolster the already sufficient three-point shooting from RJ Davis and Love. 

Tuesday night, UNC fans got a taste of how lethal of a three-point shooting team the Tar Heels can be if the shots fall. One thing that helped the shooting from deep was, of course, the ball movement, which created open looks for many of the threes attempted. 

The freshmen need more minutes

Coach Davis has been rather tight in his rotations this season, but against The Citadel, some players showed that he might need to reconsider that approach for the future. 

The freshmen, Jalen Washington, Trimble, and Nickel let loose on both ends of the floor, showing flashes of players that could use more minutes to strengthen the bench. 

Scoring off the bench has been abysmal for UNC this season which has been due to a combination of guys not getting playing time and some poor shooting from the second unit. 

Prior to Tuesday, the Tar Heels were averaging 11 points off the bench, but against The Citadel, they recorded a season-high 42. 

Nickel had 16 of those points. He didn't hesitate to let it fly from three, making three of his eight attempts from deep. He also produced defensively with two steals. 

Trimble was arguably the best defender on the court for UNC with his smothering on-ball pressure and ability to intercept passing lanes. He also finished with two steals, blocked one shot, and once again showcased his playmaking ability with his assists. 

Washington scored an efficient six points in six minutes, being a match up problem with his 6-10 build and ability to finish around the basket. 

Should these newcomers build on their performance from Tuesday with some more time on the court, they can take pressure off the starters with their proven ability to handle the offense, score, and keep the defensive intensity, especially at the guard position. 

UNC will need all the help it needs when they travel to New York to face No. 23 Ohio State on Saturday. The Tar Heels are 0-4 against teams that have been ranked at any point this season.