With the Tar Heels finally having two solid-plus performances for the week, we bring back the return of 3 Stars.

North Carolina beat NC State, 97-73, and Virginia, 81-66, in what was probably the team’s best week of basketball this season.

UNC is now 17-11 overall and 10-6 in the ACC and heads to Florida State on Monday night.

Here are our 3 Stars from UNC’s 2-0 week:

Withers’ numbers this past week were good, but his impact on the team and giving it a massive shot of juice and optimism has meant even more.

As for the stats, he generated his second double-double of the season grabbing 11 boards to go with 16 points in the win over UVA. Withers also hit four 3-pointers, his most as a Tar Heel. He had 8 points and 4 rebounds in the rout of NC State, but the effect was already being absorbed by the Tar Heels.

In all, Withers scored 24 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, had 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot in 49 minutes. He was 8-for-13 from the floor, including 6-for-10 from the perimeter, and 2-for-3 from the free throw line.

No foul trouble, a ton of energy, an edge this team has badly needed, and noise it has needed, too.

Lubin has been a beneficiary of Withers’ presence as a stretch four because it’s allowed him plenty of single coverage, if you will. And his ability to get defenders on his hips and use economical footwork to his advantage has shown.

In the two games, Lubin scored 27 points on 11-for-18 shooting, 5-for-5 from the free throw line (a clear improvement), with 11 rebounds and no foul trouble. He’s also contested a lot more stuff around the rim.

For all the criticism UNC’s head coach has received this season, and some has certainly been warranted, he deserves credit for acknowledging what wasn’t working and making necessary changes. And the brilliance of his move to a bigger lineup wasn’t just at the four spot but also at the three by starting Drake Powell at his natural position.

So, the Heels have gone from two or three players playing out of position to none playing out of position. The result in the last three games has been obvious: In the four games prior to Syracuse, the Heels averaged 66.5 points, in the three games since, they’ve averaged 88.7.

The team is looser, more confident, and legitimately more optimistic than they’ve been since early November. Credit the coach when it’s deserved, and it’s absolutely deserved.