CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina returned from its trip to Hawaii and the Maui Invitational in late November sitting at 4-3 overall and riding a two-game losing streak.

A slow start for the Tar Heels prompted head coach Hubert Davis to make a change to the starting lineup moving freshman Drake Powell from the bench to the first five.

Powell was a bright spot in UNC’s 2-2 trip to the islands, including the go-ahead basket in a 21-point second half comeback against Dayton and an 18-point outing against Michigan State.

In the nine games since the lineup change, it has been a tale of two stretches for the former 5-star recruit.

Beginning with a Dec]ember 4 matchup against Alabama, he was met with a learning curve, struggling to match his productivity through the season’s first seven games. Instead of assessing the game’s intensity, speed, and physicality from the bench in the opening minutes, Powell found himself learning on the fly.

He failed to reach double digit points in his first five games as a starter and logged under 20 minutes in three of those contests.

Powell did not convert a shot attempt for the first time all season against Georgia Tech on December 7 and recorded a season-low two points and 13 minutes of action against Florida ten days later.

In the five-game span, he averaged 19.2 minutes per game, 4.6 points on 3.4 shots, and 3.2 rebounds per game. Powell’s season averages in points and rebounds declined, but not for long.

Following a win over UCLA in Madison Square Garden, an eight-day break for the Tar Heels marked the turning point for Powell.

He has since emerged into a reliable offensive option for UNC over the last four games averaging 12.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per contest.

In the Tar Heels’ 82-67 win over SMU on Tuesday, Powell’s resurgence was on display, as the 6-foot-6 wing poured in 17 points, including four made threes, four rebounds, and two assists.

“[The] shots that Drake took are shots that I see him work on all the time and [are] shots that he takes in practice,” Davis said. “I want him to have the confidence to be able to step up and knock them down. He gave us a huge lift at the beginning of the game.”

Three of Powell’s 3-point field goals came in the first nine minutes, and it was just the second time this season that he converted four 3-point attempts.

Both Powell and teammate RJ Davis referenced the coaching staff’s imploration to be aggressive, and it has served as the catalyst for the freshman’s scoring outburst.

“We’ve just been telling Drake to be more aggressive," said Davis, UNC's second all-time leading scorer." We know he can do all the little tangible things that he does well for this team, but just being aggressive when he has the ball. Don’t be kind of just tentative, just be you and be Drake Powell.”

Powell attempted a season-high 13 shots against the Mustangs and on January 1, took 11 shots versus Louisville. Over the season’s first 13 games, Powell did not reach double digit shot attempts and attempted eight or more just twice.

In his first five games as a starter, Powell tallied just 17 shot attempts compared to 37 over the last four contests.

While Powell has made his aggressiveness a priority on the offensive end, he’s also been rewarded with trips to the free throw line. He’s amassed two or more free throw attempts in five straight games after failing to reach the charity stripe in eight of the Tar Heels’ first 11 contests.

His ability to get to the free throw line, whether as a starter or off the bench, has been an indicator of success for UNC as a whole. The Tar Heels are 7-1 when he gets to the line at least once and 4-0 when he attempts four or more free throws.

As Powell’s early setbacks as a starter have turned into consistent success, he’s reminded of the even keel attitude that has served him in his first season at the collegiate level.

“My dad always tells me not to get too low [or] too high and just to trust the work,” said Powell.

Having played 30 or more minutes and recorded 10 or more points in three of the last four games, Powell will look to continue his impressive stretch on Saturday when North Carolina travels to Raleigh for a meeting with NC State.