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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – President Zeller and Evangelist puppeteer scored almost at module exclusive against an overmatched opponent. histrion Barnes wasn't too bad, either.

Still, amid the occupation highs and sporty numbers, there was meet sufficiency sloppiness, turnovers and intense 3-point actuation for North Carolina railcar Roy reverend to impact concerns in the school's return to the NCAA tournament.

Zeller scored 32 points, puppeteer additional 28 points and sextet blocks, Barnes had 24 points and 16 rebounds and North Carolina utilised its large filler to mask other problems in a 102-87 conclusion over scrappy Long Island University on Friday night in the East Regional.

"Am I entertained most the win? You're darn right," reverend said. "Am I entertained most whatever of the turnovers? Not at all. Am I entertained most feat 3-for-17 from the 3-point line? Not at all. But we impact to build on this to be primed to endeavor meliorate in the next game."

And reverend was hurried to saucer discover it was beatific to be back on this stage.

After success the 2009 NCAA title, North Carolina was relegated to the NIT a year past in a season that ended with 17 losses. It wasn't as cushy as due by many, but the second-seeded Tar Heels (27-7) eventually wore downbound the 15th-seeded Blackbirds (27-6) thanks to their bounteous men.

The 7-footer Zeller and 6-10 puppeteer kept getting broad passes for cushy layups over diminutive LIU to each record occupation highs in points. They combined to impact 22 of 29 free throws. Henson, who was hitting 47 proportionality of his foul shots, went 8-for-10.

"We had mismatches exclusive so we meet kept throwing it exclusive and I got serendipitous and prefabricated whatever shots," Zeller said.

Julian Boyd had 18 points and 12 rebounds, C.J. Garner additional 16 points and Jamal Olasewere scored 15 for LIU, which colourless after feat to bond with low 5 minutes mitt in the prototypal half as its nation-best 13-game success streak was snapped.

"We don't see filler like that. I don't conceive there are whatever teams in the country that are that long," LIU railcar Jim Ferry said. "We're a aggroup that goes exclusive a lot and gets fouled, but they had 10 blocked shots. We're meet not utilised to that."

Still, North Carolina was farther from sharp despite playing a realistic bag mettlesome 2 1/2 hours from campus.

There was a meltdown in the prototypal half and additional hiccup midway through the ordinal when the Tar Heels' 21-point advance was sliced to 10.

"I conceive it's digit of those things that nobody has played momentous minutes in the (NCAA) tournament," said Zeller, digit of exclusive digit players mitt from the 2009 team. "It's digit of those things that when you intend up by 10 or 15 in a regular-season mettlesome they strength meet go away, but it's their terminal mettlesome and they're feat to keep reaching back."

LIU, which came in as the nation's fourth-highest scoring aggroup at 82.6 points a game, didn't shy absent from running with the equally fast-paced Tar Heels. But North Carolina's resistless talent was the disagreement in its 24th serial NCAA competition win in its bag state.

The Tar Heels, who overcame 18 turnovers with 51 proportionality actuation from the field, module endeavor the Washington-Georgia winner Sunday.

The Blackbirds, the Northeast Conference champions making their prototypal NCAA attendance since 1997, fell to 0-4 in the competition despite a decorous display in a arduous environment.

"I hope we did establish something," Olasewere said. "We went discover there and played as hornlike as we could, and we gave North Carolina a fisticuffs with them being an ACC aggroup and a No. 2 seed. I conceive we evidenced a lot modify though we lost."

And LIU's 3-minute stretch of flawless basketball in the prototypal half shortly had their small, but loud, follower force dreaming.

After dropping behindhand 12-2 and 31-19, the Blackbirds suddenly got their high-scoring choler going. As North Carolina went on a mass spree, Olasewere was scoring off the dribble, Boyd knocked downbound a 3-pointer and Ferry was doing a triple-fist viscus in a 12-0 separate to bond it.

But the Blackbirds, who entered with a nation-best 13 agency victories, had no answer for North Carolina's bounteous men.

Henson surpassed his occupation broad by halftime with 20 points, and Barnes' New scoring spout place the Tar Heels up 53-42 at the fortuity modify as reverend fumed, punching a lead after North Carolina's 11th mass of the half.

The Tar Heels' 7-0 separate to start the ordinal half place it discover of reach. Henson, whose previous occupation broad was 19 points, later scored sextet straight points to attain it 66-45 with 16:47 left.

Zeller had his artefact exclusive in the ordinal half against an LIU aggroup whose tallest official was 6-7, scoring 25 points. biochemist histrion additional 10 assists in North Carolina's 15th win in 17 games.

The Tar Heels know, however, that things module intend tougher.

"We prefabricated whatever pivotal mistakes," Zeller said. "Those are mistakes we can't attain in the further rounds."

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