CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina’s 80-56 victory against Florida Atlantic at the Smith Center on Sunday was a lot like the Tar Heels’ season-opening victory against Gardner-Webb on Friday night. In both games, the Heels showed positive glimpses of the team they might become amid sloppiness that proves they still have a long ways to go. 

UNC's 76-59 season-opening victory on Friday night against Gardner-Webb provided coach Roy Williams with plenty of teachable moments. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina on Friday night began the season with a 76-59 victory against Gardner-Webb. Let’s get to it … the look back: 

Updated 11 p.m.

CHAPEL HILL — Underneath the glare of cameras and seated comfortably in the public spotlight on Friday night, James Michael McAdoo, the North Carolina sophomore forward, thought back to a year ago. Then he was a timid freshman, uncertain of his abilities and his role on a team with no shortage of star power.

Marcus Paige begins his college career as the starting point guard at North Carolina. How ready is he? ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — It’s here. Basketball season is here. Finally. It never really goes away in Chapel Hill, but it returns tonight when North Carolina begins the season at the Smith Center against Gardner-Webb.

Around this time a year ago, the Tar Heels began the 2011-12 season with national championship aspirations. Entering this season, though, who knows what to expect? I wrote some about that in a story we ran earlier in the week, which you can read right here.

The headline tells the story: “More questions than answers” for UNC.

UNC coach Roy Williams, pictured here with the Tar Heels' freshmen, hasn't often gone "wacko" this preseason, as he likes to say. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — Roy Williams continues to recover from the surgery he underwent in September to remove a tumor from his kidney but, he said on Thursday, “I don’t think I’m 100 percent.”

Then again, Williams said, “I don’t have to be.”

UNC coach Roy Williams is still deciding on his starting five for the season-opener against Gardner-Webb. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — One day before North Carolina begins the season here on Friday night against Gardner-Webb, four-fifths of the Tar Heels’ starting lineup appears set.

“I feel fairly comfortable about Marcus [Paige] and Dexter [Strickland] and Reggie [Bullock] and James Michael [McAdoo],” UNC coach Roy Williams said earlier today. “But that fifth spot, from one day to the next, I change quite a bit.”

Dexter Strickland has heard from N.C. State fans following his public comments about the Wolfpack. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — You probably remember Dexter Strickland’s comments about N.C. State a while back. Strickland, the North Carolina senior guard, told CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman that the Wolfpack represented “the least” of the Tar Heels worries, and he noted that UNC routinely defeats N.C. State.

I recently had a chance to ask Strickland about the reaction he received from those comments.

“They’ve been blowing up my Twitter, saying crazy things,” Strickland said. “There’s this one guy, I don’t even know his name. He tweets me every day, and he counts down to the days. It’s a State fan. He says, ’95 days until we destroy UNC.’ And then the next day, ’94 days …’” 

Brice Johnson and the UNC freshmen combined for 29 points in the Tar Heels' first exhibition victory. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina started its first exhibition game slowly but a dominating game-ending run propelled the Tar Heels to an 81-54 victory against Shaw on Friday night. 

Here's the game story.

And here's a look back at our first real look at UNC: 

North Carolina guard Dexter Strickland isn't buying the hype surrounding N.C. State. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — Good stuff – no, great stuff – here from Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Goodman recently visited Chapel Hill and spent some time with Dexter Strickland, the North Carolina senior guard.

 The pair talked about Strickland’s injury last season, about how things might have been different had he remained healthy. And, oh yes, the topic of N.C. State came up. The Wolfpack, after all, were picked to win the ACC for the first time since coming off their national championship season in 1974.

Roy Williams, Dexter Strickland and the Tar Heels have history on their side after being picked to finish third in the ACC. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — Back from a long day yesterday at the ACC’s annual basketball media day, where voters picked North Carolina to finish third in the conference.

Which got to me thinking: What has happened the other times that UNC has been picked to finish third?