CHARLOTTE - Maybe North Carolina's zone offense issues are a thing of the past.

Entering Thursday’s Round of 64 clash with 16-seed Wagner, UNC had lost its previous two games when facing the often daunting zone defense.

Clemson handed the Tar Heels its first and only home defeat of the season, while Syracuse’s Feb. 13 home win - and late-gameshift to a zone - was UNC's third loss in five games.

“We struggled with the zone in the Clemson game when we lost,” Harrison Ingram said, following the Tar Heels' NCAA Tournament first-round win over Wagner on Thursday at Spectrum Center. “They went [to a] zone and we weren’t ready.”

Another blemish against that zone defense and the Tar Heels would see their season come to an end and become just the third No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history to lose to a 16-seed.

Fortunately for Hubert Davis and his club, the third time was the charm, as the Tar Heels (28-7) advanced with a 90-62 victory over the Seahawks (17-16).

Despite the nearly 30-point win, Carolina was tested in its tournament debut.

With 5:30 remaining in the first half, the No. 1 seed in the West Region found itself up 33-23 and on the verge of blowing the game open against the NEC champs after a 12-for-18 start from the field.

Then, Seahawks Coach Donald Copeland followed the defensive gameplan of Clemson’s Brad Brownwell and Syracuse’s Red Autry, switching to a 2-3 zone defense in an effort to stifle North Carolina’s offense.

And for the remainder of the first half, the defensive adjustment worked.

The Tar Heels missed their next six shot attempts, including three 3-pointers, and failed to convert on nine of their 11 attempts to close out the half.

After stretching the 10-point lead to 40-28 at the break, Wagner’s defensive curveball continued to buckle the knees of the Tar Heel offense to open up the final 20 minutes, as they missed four of their first five shots attempts.

“They were playing defense weird because they’re so undersized,” said Ingram. “It’s easier to play against a man-to-man defense [and] it’s harder to play against a zone because you don’t know who’s trapping, who’s guarding who, and who’s not being guarded. It was good for us.”

As they made adjustments, the comfort level increased and the Tar Heels exploited the zone defense to score 49 points over the final 16 minutes.

“All week, we were prepared if we were playing Wagner that they would zone us up because they do run a zone,” said Armando Bacot. “Credit to the guards, they did a great job of not taking the first easy shot, but taking a great shot.”

With the improved ball movement and dissection of the zone, RJ Davis recorded 17 second-half points, while Cormac Ryan added in eight points and Ingram was a perfect 2-for-2 from the floor.

In total, UNC connected on seven of its 11 threes in the final frame, helping it to a season-best 50 percent (9-for-18) performance from beyond the arc.

Weathering the storm was an important feat for the Tar Heels, who at times have found themselves unable to make the necessary in-game changes, particularly on the offensive end.

“In the NCAA Tournament, you never know how you gotta win. For us, if we’re playing against a [zone] defense, we gotta adjust,” said Ingram. “We gotta run new plays, we gotta run new sets that we haven’t run in awhile because they’re zone sets. We gotta figure out a way to win.”

In March, it’s not about how you win, but that you win in the first place. For the Tar Heels, that required an uncomfortable, but learning period stretch spanning parts of both halves.

Whether it be when facing a 16-seed in its tournament debut or against Michigan State with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, Carolina was going to be tested in the tournament’s opening weekend.

In the second half against the upset-minded Seahawks, they aced the first of potentially six assignments.

“I feel like in the second half, we did a great job of turning up the energy, playing together, moving the ball, and having good team chemistry like Carolina basketball is,” said Ingram.

That energy and togetherness will be needed on the defensive end on Saturday against the Michigan State Spartans, who rank top-30 in the country in both turnovers and assists per game.