For North Carolina coach Matt Doherty, that's a start, at least.
With North Carolina's first game of the season on Friday, getting an 81-70 win against the Nike Elite in Saturday's exhibition game was actually important for Doherty and his Tar Heels.
"It's good to win a game," said Doherty, whose Tar Heels lost their first exhibition 107-76 to the EA Sports All-Stars. "We hope we grew up a bit today."
Once again, the Tar Heels took the court without Jason Capel, who is still resting a hamstring injury. Doherty said Capel could have played, but they wanted him to recover completely.
Kris Lang led UNC with 27 points and 12 rebounds, while Brian Morrison added 20 points and five assists. Will Johnson pulled down 15 boards for the team.
Although all those numbers should comfort the Tar Heels going into their first game, there are frightening ones to contend with, too.
UNC was 4 of 19 from beyond the
3-point line in the first half, while Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott were a combined 1 for 10 on field goals.
"We did put up a lot of quick shots," Adam Boone said. "A lot of times they were good shots, but they're so fast. We could have worked around and got a better shot."
