Top-ranked Tar Heels hammer N.C. State

Deon Thompson and Ty Lawson each scored 16 points for No. 1 North Carolina, which scored 25 straight points in the first half of a 93-62 victory over North Carolina State on Saturday.

Tyler Hansbrough had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Tar Heels (17-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who completely overwhelmed a Wolfpack team picked to finish third in the league. North Carolina matched the 1997-98 team with 17 straight wins to start the season, the Tar Heels' best since winning 21 straight to open 1985-86.

Danny Green added 13 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and four blocks for North Carolina, which opened a 43-13 halftime lead and turned the game into a total disaster for an opponent with ambitions of joining the ACC's perennially elite.

Courtney Fells had 16 points to lead N.C. State (11-4, 0-1), which shot just 6-for-34 (18 percent) in the first half and got no closer than 26 points in the second half.

The only drama early was whether the Wolfpack would challenge Saint Louis' record for scoring futility — 20 points — set this week against George Washington. From there, the only question left was whether the Tar Heels would crack the 100-point mark yet again.

It was North Carolina's largest victory margin in the series in nearly 15 years, while N.C. State's 13 first-half points were the fewest allowed by the Tar Heels in almost a decade.

Thompson had a career high in points to go with three early blocks for the Tar Heels, who took a 50-34 rebounding advantage and shot 49 percent. Lawson, who twisted an ankle in the first half, finished with a career-high four 3-pointers. That more than offset a 3-for-11 shooting day for Hansbrough, though the Tar Heels didn't need much offense from him early to jump ahead.

N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe, wearing the bright red blazer from last season's upset of the Tar Heels in Raleigh, watched helplessly from the bench as his team missed shot after shot. Trailing 16-11 midway through the first half, N.C. State missed 18 straight shots and went scoreless over a 10-minute stretch as the Tar Heels — who were shooting just 43 percent — methodically built a 30-point lead.

By the time Fells knocked down a jumper from the left corner to end the streak, the Wolfpack trailed 41-13 with 1:19 left and the North Carolina fans were offering loud, mocking cheers.