CHAPEL HILL — No. 5 North Carolina defeated Appalachian State 97-82 here at the Smith Center on Saturday night. It was an easy win, but one that didn’t come as smoothly as Tar Heels coach Roy Williams would have preferred.

A look back at UNC’s victory against the Mountaineers:

Updated 9:28 p.m.

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Roy Williams referenced the time of year it is on Saturday night and, given the season, he said, “I’m not going to be Scrooge.” But then, the more he spoke about his team’s 97-82 victory here at the Smith Center against Appalachian State, the more curmudgeonly he became.

The No. 5 Tar Heels (9-2) had practiced but once in the past week while players focused on exams. They hadn’t played a game in seven days. Given the time off, and the time away from practice, Williams liked certain aspects of how his team played.