The Tarheels opened up their season last night with a 103-81 win over Sacred Heart. Tyler Hansbrough's only turnover of the night came when he tripped in layup drills before the second half began, but during the game he was flawless. The sophomore scored 29 pts on 11-14 FGs and added 9 rebs in just 27 minutes of action. Reyshawn Terry didn't score in the first half, but finished with 18 pts in 18 minutes to go along with 8 rebs. The freshmen trio of Brandan Wright (10 pts, 4 asts), Ty Lawson (10 pts, 4 rebs), and Wayne Ellington (10 pts) rounded out Tarheels in double-figures.
The only blemish on the night for the Heels is the fact that they gave up 81 pts to Sacred Heart, which goes along with the trend that has been set in exhibition play. While the Heels want to push tempo, it will be interesting to see how their defensive play matures as the season progresses.
In other ACC action, Wake Forest held off a tough Bucknell team in overtime 86-83. This is a good win for a young Demon Deacon team to grab on the road. For the 2nd straight game, Kyle Visser led the way, scoring 26 pts and grabbing 6 rebs and making 9-12 from the floor. Visser has now made 86.4% of his field goal attempts from the floor. Harvey Hale scored 20 pts and freshman point guard, Ish Smith added 14 pts, 7 asts, 4 rebs, but also 6 turnovers.
FSU had a time with Matt Doherty's SMU team winning by just 7 pts, 59-52. Al Thornton scored 15 pts and added 7 rebs while Toney Douglas stepped up his scoring with 14 pts, although he did finish with 6 turnovers.
Miami beat Alcorn State 96-57 on Tuesday night and Siena transfer, Jack McClinton led the way with 21 pts, 6 asts, 5 rebs, and 4 stls. Denis Clemente returned to the lineup, after missing the opener due to violating team rules and finished with 13 pts and 4 asts. Raymond Hicks didn't play for the 2nd consecutive game.
The final game of the night was Virginia Tech's 95-47 win over West Florida. AD Vassallo finished with 26 pts and 6 rebs in just 22 minutes of action, including hitting 5-7 from behind the arc.
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