See Roy Run

I just finished watching North Carolina destroy Rutgers, 87-48, from my relatives' house in Columbus, Ohio, and all I can say is "wow."

But it was not the 'wow' I was expecting from a team as athletic a team as UNC -- media darling Tyler Hansbrough went just 5-for-13 from the field, and Rutgers managed to pull down 14 offensive rebounds.

If the 'Shelden Williams vs. Penn's frontcourt' matchup had played out like that a year ago, Penn could have made an even better run at knocking off Duke.

But that's the difference between the ACC team the Quakers matched up against a year ago and the one they will face on Jan. 3. While Duke of 2005-06 beat you from all over the floor -- and as easily in the half court as in transition -- head coach Roy Williams prefers to let his team run, run, and run some more. With a rotation that goes 10 players deep, he can afford to.

Freshman point Ty Lawson impressed me the most. At 5-foot-11 and lightning quick, I doubt he is the kind of player Penn's Ibrahim Jaaber can seriously impair, but someone needs to slow him down if the Quakers want to threaten. Lawson, who was filling in for sophomore Bobby Frasor last night, had nine assists and no turnovers. Overall, the Heels had 27 assists on 33 field goals. The monstrous freshman Brendan Wright and sharpshooting guard Wayne Ellington were the main recipients of the help, going 8-for-10 and 5-for-7, respectively.

Roy Williams was comfortable letting his freshmen run wild against the Scarlet Knights, so he should have no qualms about stepping on the gas pedal just as hard against Penn.

The results against Rutgers? 54 second-half points, 23 points off of turnovers, and more than one demoralizing dunk on a fast break.

Wow.