LAHAINA, Hawaii _ North Carolina began its long trip to Hawaii on island time, perhaps, fatigued either by the travel or the rush of games early in the season, or maybe both. The Tar Heels' sloppy victory at Hawaii last Friday night left coach Roy Williams fuming.
And so their goal on Monday night against Chaminade in the opening round of the Maui Invitational might have been, simply, to just be better, sharper, more energized. From the start, the result was never in question against the Silverswords, a Division II team that serves as the tournament host.
For Williams and his players, though, Monday was about how victory would come _ and the Tar Heels' 104-61 victory, in front of an enthusiastic crowd of UNC supporters at the Lahaina Civic Center, only provided Williams with a few moments of fury.
Most of those came here during the first half, with Chaminade keeping things close. During the first 14 minutes, UNC struggled to exploit its considerable advantages in talent and size. The Tar Heels' largest lead during that stretch was nine.
After building that lead, though, the Tar Heels committed five turnovers during the next five minutes. The turnovers came in a variety of ways. Five different players committed them, leaving Williams shaking his head or screaming or grimacing or all three at the same time.
With his team's performance growing sloppier by the minute, Williams turned to his team's elder statesman. Stilman White, the senior who was a freshman on UNC's 2011-12 team _ he took a two-year Mormon mission in the meantime _ played four minutes.
They were important minutes, though, and White, who tied his career-high for a game with four points in the first half, appeared to provide a calming presence. UNC led 36-31 with about 6 { minutes to play before halftime. The Tar Heels closed the first half on a 14-3 run.
The only negative for UNC during that stretch was that Brandon Robinson, the freshman wing forward, took a hard hit in the mouth after becoming entangled with Chaminade's Rohndell Goodwin. When Robinson sat up after the play, blood streamed from his mouth.
He returned midway through the second half after receiving three stitches. After halftime the Tar Heels, meanwhile, never allowed hope to a team whose past inspires belief. Chaminade is best known for defeating No. 1 Virginia in 1982. It's considered the greatest upset in college basketball history.
The Silverswords kept it competitive for about 14 minutes and then UNC gradually put it out of reach. Four UNC players finished in double figures, led by Isaiah Hicks' 22 points. Kennedy Meeks finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
That Hicks and Meeks led UNC was representative of the Tar Heels' size advantage. Chaminade, a guard-oriented team, spread the floor offensively and attempted to drive and pass out to the perimeter for 3-point attempts. When the Silverswords missed, they had little chance to rebound.
With the victory, UNC advanced to play on Tuesday against Oklahoma State in the tournament semifinals. The Cowboys advanced with a 98-90 victory against Connecticut.
Oklahoma State won only 12 games last season but it has scored at least 98 points in each of its first four victories. The Cowboys, led by sophomore guard Jawun Evans, didn't score that much in any game a season ago.
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