As UNC's team proved in the NCAA Tournament, there was no real challenger to the powerful Tar Heels.

In a 107-59 exhibition game victory against Belmont Abbey on Friday at the Smith Center, one could say with certainty this is not the best team in the country, at least not yet.

"The more (the young guys) continue to play, the more comfortable they will continue to get," said senior Deon Thompson, who had a team-high 23 points. "The more confidence they will get. They will be sure of where they are going to pass it. The more you get to play with people, the more you get to learn your teammates."

The season-opener is Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Smith Center against Florida International. Two days later, UNC will play North Carolina Central at 9 p.m. at the Smith Center.

These guys may not become the best team in the nation this year, but the talent on this club is considerable. This is not 2006 when Coach Roy Williams got caught when the top seven scorers left either through graduation or for the pros.

There is abundance of talent this time.

"It's going to be tough to guard us," Thompson said. "Say I get into foul trouble, and then Tyler Zeller comes into the game. Say Ed (Davis) gets in trouble, and David Wear comes into the game. It allows us to throw so many looks at you.

"With the big guys being so versatile, all of us do different things. It's going to be tough to match up with us when our big guys do so many different things and are so good."

What this team lacks is experience, as individuals and as a group. The kids have played together a miniscule amount of time.

But as the fans got to watch last season's culmination of three and four years of experience gel to into one of the best teams ever, this year the fun will be watching the dynamics of how this team grows.

What is truly exciting is to contemplate how far this team has to go. It is so very early. The freshmen can't even fully know what the heck they are doing. They're just so talented and have played so much basketball they can hide many of their mistakes from the public.

Be sure Williams will not miss the errors. Williams and his staff will work intensely to indoctrinate the freshmen and sophomores to do what he wants. It's obvious the kids are already trying as hard as they can to please their coach.

"They have a willingness to be coached and the acceptance to want to be coached by a Hall of Fame coach and are buying into it," Thompson said of the younger players. "At first our execution is bad, but the guys are trying. They're not thinking about themselves. They're thinking about the best way to help their teammates get open, by setting solid screens."

Some say the season is too long. Not for those who love the game. And this season will not be too long for a young team such as this because this club is only going to get better and better and better as the season progresses.

This is what will be fun to watch. Look each night at what these kids are doing and how they're doing it as a team. Then think back every week or two. The fun will be in seeing these guys grow and learn.

Defensively, this team could be a monster if it learns to execute what Williams wants, plays solid fundamentally and uses its great height to its fullest extent.

That will also be how so much of the running game and the accumulation of points Williams wants will happen. Turnovers, steals and blocks will spark many of the fast breaks people have all come to expect from the Tar heels under Williams.

Carolina ran on Friday night, but not nearly at the clip they will a month from now and two months.