University of North Carolina Athletics

1. Well, this season opener had a little bit of everything. But Carolina had a little too much for Elon and held on for a 90-76 win.

2. Sometimes it's just nice to have the ACC Player of the Year on your team. For all the talk of new faces this year, the moment finally arrived as Elon took a 71-69 lead with 7:10 to go RJ Davis who hit a driving basket, then hit a three-pointer, then got the defensive rebound and then later fed the ball Jalen Washington for a dunk that led to an 11-0 run (and ultimately a 21-5 finish). Davis finished the game with 24 points, scoring 10 of them after Elon took a late lead.

3. Carolina started with Davis, Elliot Cadeau, Seth Trimble, Jalen Washington And Jae'Lyn Withers. The top four seem pretty safe – fifth place could see some fluctuations in the coming weeks and months. When the game got close, the Heels called Cade Tyson in Withers' place.

4. Withers was instrumental in the first-half surge, hitting two three-pointers and grabbing six rebounds. The Tar Heels won't be high, we all know that (they only held a total of three boards on the glass). But Withers makes them very athletic when he's on the court. If the perimeter shot can be reliable, it is a weapon. And the good news is that he's out on nights – or in game situations – and there are other available depths he can use. Even on a night where he wasn't particularly good in the second half, Withers still had the only double of the game: a ten-point, ten-rebound double.

5. These aren't the 1997-98 Tar Heels. But it's really fun to watch this team transition. Carolina completed several lobs at the rim (and a few that didn't). When they play at tempo Hubert Davis If you want, they are able to put up big offensive numbers. UNC had 18 fast break points.

6. And Davis doesn't mind reminding them of that pace. Midway through the first half, he loudly urged his defense to be a little tougher against Elon. The result was three straight Phoenix turnovers and six straight UNC points that gave the Heels a larger lead they refused to relinquish.

7. That being said, Carolina also missed some transition opportunities. Some of them weren't about making the game easy, as Davis continually reminds his team. Some were simply missing shots that would normally go in. This and Elon's better shooting in the second half (they hit over 50 percent) gave the Phoenix a two-point lead late in the second half.

8. Cadeau was quietly effective most of the night. His eight assists were the main part of Carolina's 22-assist night (on 32 made baskets). He also made three of his four three-point attempts and was more active on defense than in his first season. He had three steals and two blocks. By the way, he also scored 17 points. Great night for the Tar Heel second-year point guard.

9. Underrated Monday Night Halftime Show: Spyros Bros. It's hard to describe exactly what they were, but they were kind of upscale yo-yos. Whatever it was, the Smith Center audience enjoyed it.

10. It doesn't seem possible, but Monday night marked the start of Carolina's 40th season at the Smith Center. With the win, the Heels are 478-87 overall in the building and 229-18 against non-conference opponents.

11. Try to think back to March 29, 2019. That's the date Carolina lost to Auburn in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in Kansas City. That was also the last time the Tar Heels played a game without them Armando Bacot on the squad. It was strange not seeing the big man who had such a huge impact on Carolina basketball at the Smith Center on Monday night.

12. Let's face it: Nobody likes the 9pm clues and it's crazy that fans are still forced to deal with them. They are a relic from the days when there were no streaming options and networks couldn't start a game until 7:00 a.m. because everyone watched the local news at 6:00 p.m. and the national news at 6:30 p.m . The television that dictates the season opener on a Monday night at 9 p.m. is basically screaming right in the faces of those who want to be there that no one really cares what they want. Monday's game was broadcast on the ACC Network. This station showed Notre Dame-Mercyhurst women's basketball with 5, followed by Duke-Maine with 7. Part of a conference with its own network should be the ability to not have to commit to schedules that don't make sense. The Big Ten – which includes the Big Ten Network – played at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. Eastern (a game on the West Coast). There's no reason why that can't be the standard, or why you shouldn't move on 30 minutes later and try 6:30 and 8:30.

13. With that in mind, instead of criticizing the fans who didn't show up, how about some recognition for the 17,242 who made it to the Smith Center despite an inconvenient day of the week, an inconvenient time, and an inconvenient opponent? It's another reminder that Carolina basketball is different and can basically just open the doors and bring in 10,000 fans. This is sometimes taken for granted, but it is clearly unusual for a college basketball program. In particular, the student crowd was great and the entire building made a difference late on, just before the event.

14. Carolina now has a 103-12 record in opening games of the season and has won 20 straight opening games. The last loss in a season opener was in Oakland against Santa Clara at the start of the 2004-05 season (Raymond Felton didn't play, but the season certainly went well).

15. Ultimately this is a very positive game for Hubert Daviswhose behavior in the final minutes made it clear that he was not happy with his team's performance. Everyone who has played has done something positive… and everyone who has played can improve significantly. There will be a lot to stress before Friday's game at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.