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Youth leads way to Tar Heels' title

NEW YORK -- North Carolina, one of the youngest teams in the country, is off to one of college basketball's best starts.

And last season seems a long time ago.

The Tar Heels, with their heralded freshman class again leading the way, beat Stanford 74-57 Friday in the title game of the Preseason NIT.

Their 5-0 start has the Tar Heels three victories short of matching their victory total from 2001-02, an 8-20 record that was the worst in school history.

Rashad McCants scored 18 for the Tar Heels. Fellow freshmen Raymond Felton had 16 points and seven assists and Sean May 12 points and seven rebounds.

"What happened last season got me pumped up and ready to play," McCants said. "I wanted to play for them last season but obviously couldn't. Now, we're here."

They are, and this is North Carolina's best start since it went 8-0 in 1998-99, a season that also included a Preseason NIT championship over Stanford.

"I don't think I would say I'm surprised. I'm happy," North Carolina coach Matt Doherty said. "We are good, but we can play better."

McCants, who was limited to 12 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, opened the second half by hitting consecutive 3-pointers.

Then sophomore Jackie Manuel hit another 3-pointer to cap a 9-2 run that gave North Carolina a 48-33 lead with 18:13 left.

The Tar Heels went 5:20 without a field goal as the Cardinal pulled to within 63-51.

But McCants, the tournament MVP, made one of his two free throws then had a driving dunk on the baseline to make it 66-51 with 5:38 left.

Stanford did not got closer than 13 the rest of the way.

"North Carolina is a very, very good basketball team. They were really ready to play and took us out of our stuff," Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. "Their speed, their quickness and athleticism really hurt us."

Top 25

NO. 4 ALABAMA 54, OHIO ST. 48: Antoine Pettway scored 11 and sealed it with two late free throws for the Tide in the Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic in Springfield, Mass. Alabama made five 3-pointers during the first half and led 35-25 at halftime. The Buckeyes chipped away in the second half as the Tide made only 4 of 23 shots. But Ohio State got no closer than three, and Pettway made two free throws with 19.3 seconds left to seal it.

SEC

SOUTH CAROLINA 82, SOUTH CAROLINA ST. 65: Chuck Eidson had a triple double (25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) for the host Gamecocks. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 20 in the first half but cut it to three twice in the second half. South Carolina ended the game with a 15-4 run.

The Gamecocks lost center Tony Kitchings. He broke two metacarpal bones in his left wrist and is out indefinitely.

C-USA

UCF 66, TULANE 61: Ray Abellard scored 22 and made 9 of 10 free throws for the visiting Knights in the second round of the University Hoops Classic. Brandon Spann became the 25th 1,000-point scorer for Tulane with a free throw during the first half.

Nation

COLL. OF CHARLESTON 66, OKLA. ST. 58: Thomas Mobley and Troy Wheless scored 17 for the Cougars in the semifinals of the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage. Charleston's fullcourt zone press disrupted Oklahoma State throughout. The Cowboys shot 44 percent from the field, including 1-of-10 on 3-pointers. A 12-2 run gave Charleston a 53-39 lead midway through the second half. The Cowboys closed to 61-54 with 3:18 left, but Wheless' 3-pointer with 1:27 left sealed it.

IOWA ST. 91, MERCER 60: Jake Sullivan scored 19 of his game-high 23 in the second half for the host Cyclones. Sullivan was 0-for-5 from the field in the first half but opened the second half with four 3-pointers as Iowa State went on a 24-5 run. It was 22-of-30 from the field in the second half.

VA. TECH 69, AMERICAN 61: Terry Taylor had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the host Hokies. During the final 30 seconds, the Eagles missed four 3-pointers, a layup and a jumper. Taylor and Dimari Thompkins went 4-of-4 from the line to seal it.

SMU 88, NORTH TEXAS 75: Quinton Ross scored 32 and Eric Castro had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the host Mustangs. Ross was 10-of-16 from the field, including 3-of-7 on 3-pointers. SMU led 44-41 at halftime, but North Texas shot 38 percent from the field and hit 6 of 11 free throws in the second half.

GW 68, MT. ST. MARY'S 54: Chris Monroe scored 24 for the host Colonials in the first round of the Red Auerbach Colonial Classic. Up five with 13 minutes left, Monroe scored six during a three-minute span for a 64-49 lead with 3:53 left.

State

ECKERD 82, P.R.-BAYAMON 73: Armwood graduate Peter Akintola led five in double figures with 12 for the host Tritons. Boca Ciega's Sharrod McCree scored 11, and Cerwin Thompson, Anthony Washington and Dixie Hollins' Marcus Bryant scored 10.

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