Barry Jacobs On UNC's Threemium

This season's Tar Heels were expected to be more dependent on their perimeter game than any squad so far under coach Roy Williams.

Through nine games, that's arguably been the case.

The 2012-13 North Carolina squad averages 21.8 attempts from 3-point range. That's three more tries than any previous group of Heels since Williams took over in 2003-04.

The last time UNC averaged more field goal attempts from beyond the arc, Matt Doherty was the coach. His final team in 2003 hoisted 23.5 long-distance shots per outing. (And made 43.6 percent of its field goal attempts overall, worst at Chapel Hill since 1960.)

This year's Heels are converting 37.8 percent of their threes, best since 2009. That was one of two seasons in which a Williams squad paced the ACC in 3-point accuracy, along with 2005.

Despite its improved perimeter efficiency compared to recent UNC teams, the current Tar Heels rank only fifth in the league in bonusphere conversion rate. Duke leads at a .400 clip. Last season the Blue Devils topped the ACC with .371 accuracy.

Later this year we'll return to Carolina's execrable free throw shooting (.617), last in the ACC and potentially worst at the school since the advent of the conference.