It wasn't always pretty. Actually, there were stretches where it was downright frustrating.
However, at the end of the night, UNC held on for an 80-72 victory over Western Carolina, and Michael Malone officially recorded his first win as head coach of the Tar Heels.
For a team featuring a new head coach and plenty of new faces, there were naturally going to be some growing pains.
We saw a mix of encouraging signs, some concerns, and, of course, the issues rebounding the basketball.
Don't worry, we'll get to that.
Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly from UNC's season-opening victory over Western Carolina.
THE GOOD: Matt Able looks ready for the moment
Welcome to Chapel Hill, Matt Able.
After missing UNC's final exhibition game against Charlotte, Able returned to the starting lineup and immediately showed why he's expected to be such an important piece of this team.
The NC State transfer led the Tar Heels with 18 points, finishing just one shy of his career high. Ironically enough, that career-high 19-point performance came against his current team when he was on the opposite sideline last season.
Able knocked down a pair of three-pointers, went 4-for-4 from inside the arc, and consistently gave the Tar Heels offense what they needed. He scored eight of UNC's first 10 points, setting the tone from the start.
Able wasn't alone in putting together a productive performance.
Terrence Brown scored 14 points, while Neo Avdalas did a little bit of everything, adding 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. True freshman Maximo Adams chipped in 10 points off the bench, making plays on both ends of the floor that proved why UNC recruited him so heavily as a high school prospect.
In total, UNC had four players reach double figures on a night when the offense wasn't necessarily firing on all cylinders.
More importantly, the Tar Heels figured out how to finish.
Western Carolina pulled within three points with just over five minutes remaining before UNC responded with a 13-2 run that finally put the Catamounts away.
Was it convincing? Not necessarily.
But when Western Carolina threatened to steal the game late, North Carolina responded.
That's something to build on.
THE BAD: UNC let Western Carolina hang around WAY too long
Let's call it what it was: this game was way too close for comfort.
North Carolina never trailed and led by as many as 13 points, but Western Carolina had multiple opportunities to take the lead during the second half.
The Catamounts pulled within one at 48-47 with 14 minutes remaining and were still within three at 65-62 with 5:25 to play. For a Western Carolina team picked to finish eighth in the Southern Conference, that's probably a little closer than Malone would've preferred.
Part of the problem was UNC's inability to knock down perimeter shots consistently.
The Tar Heels finished 9-for-30 from three, for 30 percent. Meanwhile, Western Carolina connected on 10 three-pointers despite shooting only 33.9 percent overall from the field.
After the game, Malone said his team found mostly good or great shots from beyond the arc, noting that the Tar Heels didn't knock them down. Of course, you hope the shots will start to fall, but it can be a concern on nights when UNC can't find their mark.
There were plenty of opportunities for North Carolina to blow this game open, but the Catamounts kept hanging around. Give them credit: they played tough and answered every time momentum started to build in the home team's favor.
For UNC, you can live with surviging against a team like Western Carolina in early November. However, when the schedule starts to toughen, that type of performance simply won't fly.
THE UGLY: We HAVE to talk about the rebounding
Remember when Michael Malone said rebounding would be an emphasis after North Carolina's preseason struggles?
Well...
We've still got a problem.
Western Carolina outrebounded North Carolina 41-32.
Yes.
Western Carolina.
At the Dean Smith Center.
But wait: it gets worse!
The Catamounts grabbed 13 offensive rebounds compared to just seven for North Carolina and held a 13-8 advantage in second-chance points.
Here's the stat that really puts it into perspective:
The last time a mid-major program outrebounded North Carolina by at least nine at the Dean Smith Center was November 10, 2000, when Winthrop held a 40-31 advantage on the glass.
That game was Matt Doherty's debut as North Carolina's head coach. That's not exactly the piece of Carolina basketball history you want to recreate.
Twenty-six years later, Malone's first official game produced an eerily similar result on the boards.
And this wasn't an isolated issue.
Indiana destroyed North Carolina on the glass during the preseason, outrebounding the Tar Heels 53-31. Charlotte followed by winning the rebounding battle 36-30. Now, Western Carolina has done the same thing to the Tar Heels.
Three consecutive games of being out-rebounded.
At some point, it stops being a preseason concern and becomes a legitimate problem.
Neo Avdalas, a guard, led North Carolina with seven rebounds, while fellow guard Terrence Brown collected five rebounds off the glass. In comparison, starting center Sayon Keita grabbed just two, while forward Jarin Stevenson also only had a pair of rebounds.
Malone has repeatedly emphasized that rebounding can't fall solely on the big men. North Carolina needs all five players attacking the glass. Right now, that simply isn't happening consistently enough.
The good news?
UNC is 1-0.
Matt Able looked terrific. Several of the newcomers showed flashes. And when the Tar Heels were finally forced to put Western Carolina away, they did exactly that.
But the rebounding?
That can't be brushed aside as an opening-night hiccup.
If the Tar Heels don't fix it soon, better teams are going to make the them pay for it.
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