So much for the tune-ups.
North Carolina won seven games in a row since losing by one point at Kentucky back on Dec. 3, though with the exceptions of Texas and possibly Long Beach State, most fell in the category of walkovers.
The Tar Heels finished the December portion of their schedule with a 100-62 rout of Elon, then spent the afternoon of New Year's Day beating up on Monmouth 102-65.
"It's been a long stretch here of these non-conference games at home," coach Roy Williams said after the Heels improved to 13-2. "Now we're getting ready to start our conference regular season, and our play is going to have to go up a level."
The Tar Heels will open league play with two more games at home, entertaining Boston College on Jan. 7 and then hosting Miami on Jan. 10 for their ninth consecutive home game.
The first trip they make in league play will be to Florida State on Jan. 14.
NOTES
--Sophomore G Kendall Marshall continued his assault on the school record book for assists by recording 11 in the win over Monmouth. That gave him 150 in just 15 games for a nice, tidy 10.0 per game average.
The school record for assists in a season is 284 by Ed Cota in the 1999-2000 season. Marshall had 230 last season. Cota's school record assists average is 8.1 a game.
There have been 15 games in which a player has had at least 14 assists in North Carolina history. Marshall has four of them.
--North Carolina stretched its winning streak in the Smith Center to a record 26 games with the rout of Monmouth. That supplanted the 25-game streak from 1992-94. The streak started with a win over Miami on March 2, 2010.
The longest home winning streak for the Tar Heels is 32 games from 1926-29. The Smith Center opened for the 1986-86 season.
--Monmouth coach King Rice, who played for North Carolina's 1991 Final Four squad, receiving a 30-second standing ovation before the game against his alma mater. Rice's assistants at Monmouth, Derrick Phelps and Brian Reese, also played for the Tar Heels and were starters for the 1993 national championship team.
BY THE NUMBERS: 56 -- The Tar Heels have won their last 56 consecutive home games against non-conference opposition. Their last loss at home to a non-ACC member was 68-64 on Nov. 29, 2005, to Illinois.
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
--vs. Boston College, Jan. 7
KEY MATCHUPS: The Tar Heels have a huge advantage in experience and inside strength against the rebuilding Eagles. BC is only 5-8 going into its final non-conference game Jan. 2 vs. Rhode Island. Freshman G Patrick Heckmann is the only Eagle averaging in double figures (11.3).
FUTURES MARKET: Of the returning five starters for North Carolina, the player deemed most likely to lose his starting spot going into the season was junior G Dexter Strickland. If anything, Strickland has strengthened his hold on his spot. He is shooting 56.1 percent from the floor in averaging 7.9 points a game.
PLAYER NOTES
Sophomore F Harrison Barnes set a career-high in assists with five in the win over Elon on Dec. 29. He also had 18 points and five rebounds. He came back with 20 points against Elon.
Senior F Tyler Zeller tied a career-high with 13 rebounds against Elon. He had 19 points for his fourth double-double of the season and ninth of his career. He missed a double-double against Monmouth when he had only eight points to go with his 11 rebounds.
Junior F John Henson recorded his sixth double-double of the season and 25th of his career with 16 points and 11 rebounds against Elon. He had 21 points but settled for eight rebounds against Monmouth.
Sophomore G Reggie Bullock saw his streak of double-figure scoring games end at six when he managed just seven points against Elon. He came back with 11 points against Monmouth in his next game.
Freshman G P.J. Hairston had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting against Monmouth.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"It's hard to be up by 20 at half and expect to win by 50 every time." -- Coach Roy Williams, after this Tar Heels led Monmouth 57-26 at the break on their way to a 102-65 victory.
