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LAHAINA, Hawaii -- North Carolina had a hard time shaking pesky Chaminade early. Once the Tar Heels turned into a bully, they were able to run away from the Silverswords.Isaiah Hicks scored 22 points, Kennedy Meeks had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 4 North Carolina overpowered host Chaminade 104-61 Monday night in the Maui Invitational.Were just too big for them, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said.North Carolina (5-0) needed a little time to gain some separation from the Division II Silverswords, doing so midway through the first half by pounding the ball inside.The Tar Heels outscored Chaminade 46-8 in the paint and had 26 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds to earn a spot in the semifinals against Oklahoma State on Tuesday.Tony Bradley added 14 points and North Carolina shot 57 percent from the floor. Meeks and Hicks, both seniors, scored 20 points in the same game for the first time.We knew they were going to compete, said Meeks, who hit all seven of his shots from the floor. I know through watching them through the years and seen them knock off teams in this tournament. We definitely took advantage of the things we should have, getting the ball inside and hitting shots.Chaminade (2-1) shot well early to hang with the Tar Heels, but had little chance once they picked up the defensive pressure and got the ball inside on offense. The Silverswords went 10 of 28 from 3-point range but were outrebounded 52-23.Rohndell Goodwin led Chaminade with 18 points, and Kiran Shastri added 13.It was pretty obvious to everybody that size and strength was the difference in this game, Chaminade coach Eric Bovaird said. They had (17) offensive rebounds and we had 23 total. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure that out.Chaminade has a team filled with upperclassmen and has had a penchant for pulling off upsets. The Silverswords helped start the Maui Invitational with their shocker over top-ranked Virginia in 1982 and have knocked off big-name programs at this tournament through the years, most recently Texas in 2012.North Carolina was not a favorable matchup for them.The Tar Heels are long, athletic and considered national-title contenders even with forwards Luke Maye and Theo Pinson out with injuries.The Silverswords only shot at another upset would be to shoot the lights out. They did early, making 12 of their first 21 field goal attempts to stay within 28-24 midway through the first half.But then North Carolinas size inside began to wear Chaminade down.Behind the 6-foot-10 Meeks and the 6-9 Hicks, the Tar Heels started to stretch the lead. Meeks had 14 points by halftime, Hicks 13 and they combined to hit 11 of 13 shots to help North Carolina build a 50-34 advantage.The Tar Heels opened the second half with an 11-4 run and never looked back.We felt like we could play them with our guards, but what can you do with three 6-11 guys? Goodwin said. Its only so much we can do.BIG PICTUREAfter a slow start, the Tar Heels did what they were supposed to against an overmatched opponent. Theyll need a better start against Oklahoma States pressure defense in the semifinals.Chaminade again showed it can hang with the big boys, at least for stretches.UP NEXTNorth Carolina faces Oklahoma State in the semifinals on Tuesday.Chaminade meets UConn in the second round.Doug Flutie Womens Jersey . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Jim Kelly Youth Jersey . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. http://www.shoptheofficialbills.com/Elite-Dawson-Knox-Bills-Jersey/ . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. Buffalo Bills Jerseys . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. Ed Oliver Womens Jersey . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side.Once a kid, always a kid.This week has involved a little less live sport and much more of reliving our childhoods as we have explored the enormous Disney complex in Orlando, Florida. Weve enjoyed the Disney theme parks, resorts, miniature golf courses (lets not go there because Hannah gave me a hiding at mini golf) and restaurant after restaurant - including ESPN Zone which sits on the boardwalk near the Epcot theme park.The ESPN Zone is a food and sports-lovers dream. Dozens of screens and endless walls of autographed NFL, NBA and MLB memorabilia. As a huge fan of sports memorabilia - I actually purchased a signed Cam Newton photo in San Francisco - it was great fun to stroll around the restaurant and browse at the amazing collection. NFL Hall of Famers, championship-winning NBA stars and baseballs franchise superstars ... anyone who was or is anyone in the U.S. sports world was featured on ESPNs walls.To date on our holiday here in the States, we have seen four NFL games, an NHL game, a pre-season NBA game and sat at countless sports bars joining in with the hysterics as the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians have embarked on a historic World Series campaign.And there is more to come:In only a couple of days, its a Thursday Night Football clash between a talented young quarterback and one of the leagues hottest teams. Famous Jameis Winston will lead the hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers against Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and the high-octane Atlanta Falcons. Across the U.S., much discussion has been about the lack of quality NFL matches this season, for mine, this is a game that could be a high-scoring, highly entertaining bout between two teams capable of putting up 40 points.Two nights later we head to the biggest one of them all - Alabama at LSU in Death Valley.More than 100,000 will cram into Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge to see whether their beloved Tigers can topple the unbeaten, No.dddddddddddd1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Bama vs. LSU is one of the prime-time rivalry matches in all of college football and with LSUs recent resurgence after the early-season termination of coach Les Miles, this should be an absolute classic!Experts will tell you LSUs prime objective is beating Alabama ... time will tell how that goes. As a big LSU fan, this is finally a game where I will cheering at the top of my lungs, hoping for a Tiger victory!The last (and first) time I was in Death Valley my Tigers beat No. 3 Ole Miss and the crowd decided to rush onto the field. My travelling buddy Tommy Lynch and I thought, what the heck and we were soon running around like silly kids on Halloween.Speaking of Halloween, Hannah and I have enjoyed our first one in the U.S. The line at the costume store was hard to fathom but we had heaps of fun dressing up (me as Leonardo the Ninja Turtle and Hannah as Little Red Riding Hood) and handing out candy to excited youngsters around our hotel.On Sunday night we link up with an old friend of mine, Thomas Dullard, and we catch a regular-season game at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Well watch the young Phoenix Suns against the now Kobe-less Lakers. A great way to end an amazing trip.As has been the way across the past few weeks, keep an eye out for photos, tweets and videos of all our experiences with Americas endless elite sport.Follow me on Twitter (@joshjenkins24 and #JJintheUSA) and Instagram (@joshjenkins04) as well as ESPN Australia / NZ on Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter for all my adventures before its time to go home. ' ' '