CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Many of No. 9 North Carolina's recent ills were washed away with a simple concept Sunday afternoon.

Sizzling shooting did the trick.

"Like I've always said, it's always better when the ball goes in," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. "Ball in the basket. It's really that easy."

Five players scored in double figures as North Carolina rolled past Pittsburgh 85-64 at the Smith Center to stay atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

Forward Brice Johnson led the way with 19 points and guard Marcus Paige pumped in 15 points for North Carolina (21-4, 10-2 ACC), which shot a season-high 59.3 percent from the field.

Forward Justin Jackson's 14 points, guard Joel Berry's 13 points and forward Isaiah Hicks' 10 points also gave the Tar Heels a boost.

"That is the type of game we need to play all the time," Johnson said. "We played with a lot of effort and intensity."

The Tar Heels were credited with 26 assists on 32 baskets, perhaps accounting for the ball going in the basket so frequently.

"We got back to that old way of just moving the ball," Paige said. "No one held it."

Forward Michael Young and guard James Robinson scored 15 points apiece for Pittsburgh (17-7, 6-6), which is on a season-worst three-game losing streak.

The Panthers were charged with 19 turnovers, matching a season-high total. They shot 39.4 percent from the field.

"The shot selection was atrocious, so really our offense was a big cause of our defensive breakdowns because it's hard when you turn it over that many times and a lot of live-ball turnovers," Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon said.

The game was the first for North Carolina since Williams collapsed on the sideline from vertigo and missed most of the second half in Tuesday night's game at Boston College. He was back in his normal role Sunday.

"I was just happy to finish a dadgum game," Williams said.

North Carolina had been in a rut with losses to Louisville and Notre Dame and then needing a second-half escape to win at last-place Boston College.

The Tar Heels had lost their last two matchups with Pittsburgh, so they were on a full alert. There was satisfaction in the manner in which they won.

"It's a lot better to get a win like that," Johnson said.

The Tar Heels took command with a 13-0 run in the second half that produced a 61-41 edge. They followed that with a series of fastbreak baskets to build the advantage to 78-52 with five minutes left.

"A bad performance by us," Dixon said. "I think it's across the board. It's everybody. We were not very good in all facets."

Paige has shot 11-for-20 on 3-pointers across the last three games since a prolonged shooting slump last month. He was 3-for-6 on Sunday.

"That was as close to a complete game that we've played in a long time," Paige said.

Nine of Pittsburgh's 25 field goals were 3-pointers and the Panthers collected 19 offensive rebounds compared to one offensive board for North Carolina.

"Fortunately, they didn't score on a bunch of them," Williams said.

North Carolina used a 10-1 run late in the first half for a 42-29 lead at the break. The Tar Heels were bolstered by 55.6-percent shooting in the opening half.

North Carolina was up 14-4 less than six minutes into the game. Later, Pittsburgh closed a 14-point deficit to 23-17.

NOTES: This marked the third consecutive game for Pittsburgh against a nationally ranked opponent after losses to Virginia and Miami. ... North Carolina has reached a double-digit ACC win total for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons. ... F Rafael Mai was in Pittsburgh's starting lineup for the first time in four games. ... North Carolina F Brice Johnson and F Kennedy Meeks were back in the starting lineup after serving as reserves at Boston College because of low defensive grades in the previous game. ... Pittsburgh is 17-0 when scoring 70 or more points this season, but the Panthers didn't approach that total despite posting a dozen points in the last five minutes. ... Pittsburgh is back in action Tuesday night at home against Wake Forest. ... North Carolina plays rival Duke on Wednesday night in what will be the middle game of three home outings in a seven-day period.