CHAPEL HILL - The final 2:25 of the first half in Saturday’s win over Gonzaga was a reflection of how far one player had come since arriving in Chapel Hill over two years ago.

That player was Seventh Woods.

Since before he arrived at North Carolina in 2016 from Columbia, SC, Woods battled injuries on high school. He broke his wrist as a junior and had knee problems as a senior.

Unfortunately for Woods, those injury problems followed him to UNC.

Woods appeared in all 40 games as a freshman during the Tar Heels’ run to a national title, but he was never quite 100 percent. As a sophomore, he saw action in just 20 games after suffering a stress fracture in his left foot.

While Woods missed two games last month after suffering a concussion, his performance versus the Zags suggests he just might finally be at full strength. A career-high 14 points against Gonzaga, including eight straight to end the first half, the junior point guard is starting to play as his head coach kept saying was in him, only if he could get healthy.

“Health and confidence, that’s probably the two biggest things for me to play well,” Woods said after his big performance. “And today it felt good, I was healthy and confident taking shots that last year I probably wouldn't have took. So, like I said, my confidence is taking me a long way.”

So far, Woods is putting together his best season in a Carolina uniform. In eight games, he’s averaging 4.9 points, 4.1 assists, and shooting 50 percent from the floor.

That’s nearly quadrupling his average through the first 60 games he played as a Tar Heel, which was 1.4 points per outing.

However, that improvement didn't just happen. Woods has continued to work hard behind the scenes helping to shape his game while gaining.

"I think over the course of the last offseason and up until now, I think he's worked really hard...," UNC head coach Roy Williams said. "How about that move right before the clock at the end of the half? It wasn't just his jump shot, he did some good things."

His head coach isn’t the only one that has noticed Woods’ progression. Senior Kenny Williams was also full of praise for his teammate after the big win Saturday.

“He has confidence in himself and works on it (his shot) every day,” Williams said. “I’m sure it was no surprise for him. If he can play like that the whole season, I think it will be big for us.”

Big, like Williams mentioned, might be an understatement from the senior. But he wasn’t the only player using that word to describe Woods’ performance.

“Sev was incredible tonight,” freshman Coby White said. “He came out, he was ready to play, he gave us a big hand offensively and defensively. He had a big-time performance from a big-time player.

Next up is Kentucky this weekend in Chicago, and with it is another opportunity for Woods to show he’s healthy and progressing.