The routs of UC-Santa Barbara and Nevada very much confirmed their role as conference favorites when they begin ACC play with a trip to Clemson on Jan. 6.

"Our guys feel a lot better now," coach Roy Williams said after the 36-point thrashing his team dealt UC-Santa Barbara.

The Tar Heels have stepped up the defensive pressure and forced five of their last six opponents into at least 17 turnovers.

That defense and an up-tempo approach on offense -- they are averaging better than 97 points over their last six games since a 66-55 victory over Ohio State -- are creating many headaches for Tar Heels opponents.

"The Tar Heels were everything we expected and more," UC-Santa Barbara coach Bob Williams said after his team's 105-70 loss, "but it's just amazing how quickly they get that ball up the floor. They exposed us in a lot of ways. In areas that we have breakdowns, they would expose to a pretty high level."

The Heels have some key games right away when ACC play opens.

In addition to the opener at Clemson, which looks to challenge for one of the top three spots in the league, the Heels get North Carolina State at home and then go to Georgia Tech.

They also have a road game at surprising Miami coming up on Jan. 23.

LAST YEAR'S CONFERENCE RECORD: 11-5, tied for first place in ACC.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "There is a reason they are ranked No. 1 in the country. That's an extremely talented ball club. They have great players at every position and great depth. They're a really hard team to slow down." -- Rutgers coach Fred Hill, after his Knights lost to the Tar Heels, Rutgers' first defeat at home in seven games this season.

PLAYER ROTATION: Usual Starters -- PG Ty Lawson, SG Wayne Ellington, G/F Marcus Ginyard, F Deon Thompson, F Tyler Hansbrough. Key Subs -- G/F Danny Green, F Alex Stepheson, G Quentin Thomas.

GAME REVIEW:

North Carolina 88, Nicholls State 78

North Carolina 105, UC-Santa Barbara 70

North Carolina 106, Nevada 70

North Carolina 90, Valparaiso 58

GAME PREVIEW:

vs. Kent State, Wednesday, Jan. 2.

at Clemson, Sunday, Jan. 6.

vs. UNC-Asheville, Wednesday, Jan. 9.

IN FOCUS: Valparaiso will be coming off an eight-day layoff following a 78-68 loss at Wisconsin that snapped an eight-game winning streak. Sophomore G Samuel Haanpaa, a 6-8 sophomore from Finland, scored 16 points in that game after scoring 32 on the strength of 10 three-pointers in a victory over Chicago State in his previous outing. He could present a difficult matchup defensively for the Tar Heels.

ROSTER REPORT: Freshman Greg Little, a running back on the football team, has joined the Tar Heels basketball team and has played briefly in the wins over U.C.-Santa Barbara and Nevada. A 6-4 guard, Little scored five points in his debut but missed his only shot attempt against Nevada. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, Little will leave the basketball team when spring football practice begins in March.

Junior PG Bobby Frasor, who started as a freshman but gave up the position when Lawson arrived, will miss the rest of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in the win over Nevada. Frasor had one start this season when Lawson was hobbled with an ankle injury. His absence means senior Quentin Thomas will assume the role of backup to Lawson.

Not starting for just the second time in his career didn't seem to bother Ellington, who started 37 of 38 games as a freshman last season. Ellington was eight-of-12 and scored 23 points against Nevada.