CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Top-ranked North Carolina figured it had enough returning talent to pass its first test without Tyler Hansbrough. Turns out the Tar Heels' frontline newcomers are pretty good, too.

Tyler Zeller scored a team-high 18 points while fellow freshman Ed Davis had a double-double yesterday to help North Carolina beat Pennsylvania 86-71, a season-opening performance that seemed to indicate the Tar Heels can weather the uncertainty of playing without the reigning national player of the year.

Deon Thompson added 17 points for the Tar Heels, who led by double figures much of the day yet had some trouble putting together a game-sealing run. North Carolina was also without fellow senior Marcus Ginyard, injuries that forced North Carolina to thrust Zeller and Davis into the lineup.

Zeller, a 7-footer, started in Hansbrough's spot and finished 5-for-8 from the field and 8-for-10 from the foul line in 23 minutes. Davis had 10 points and 14 rebounds in 22 minutes.

This was the first regular-season game Hansbrough has missed in his career. The 6-9 forward has been out of practice for more than two weeks with a stress reaction in his right shin — which can be a precursor to a stress fracture without proper rest — and it's unclear when he'll be ready to return.

Ginyard is out until December after having foot surgery, robbing the Tar Heels of their top defender.

Their absence was evident at times, particularly with Tyler Bernardini scoring a game-high 26 points to lead the Quakers. At other times, North Carolina looked like it had more than enough offense left to be one of the nation's top teams anyway.

"I don't want to downplay the importance of Hansbrough (being out)," Penn coach Glen Miller said. "They're a very, very good basketball team. For us to come in here and try to compete against them with or without Hansbrough, I think that's a tall order."

No. 10 Gonzaga 83, Montana St.-Billings 52: Austin Daye had 15 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots, Josh Heytvelt added 15 points and the Bulldogs cruised past the Division II Jackrabbits in the season opener for both at Spokane, Wash.

No. 13 Memphis 90, Fairfield 63: Freshman Tyreke Evans scored 19 points to lead four teammates in double figures and the Tigers closed the first half with a 29-9 run for a 45-30 lead in beating the Stags in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Tip-off Tournament at Memphis, Tenn.

No. 14 Tennessee 114, Chattanooga 75: Tyler Smith had 21 points and five assists, Wayne Chism added 14 points and 13 rebounds, and the host Volunteers raced to a 60-37 halftime lead in crushing the Mocs at Knoxville, Tenn.

No. 17 Miami 96, Florida Southern 60: Dwyane Collins had 18 points and 16 rebounds as the host Hurricanes opened their season with a rout of the Division II Moccasins (3-1) at Coral Gables, Fla.

No. 18 USC 78, UC Irvine 55: Taj Gibson scored 17 points, including six straight in a 23-7 run to open the second half, and DeMar DeRozan added 14 points as the Trojans defeated the Anteaters in Los Angeles to win their first season opener in four years.

WAC MEN

New Mexico State 79, UC Riverside 52: Troy Gillenwater had 17 points, five rebounds, two blocks and one steal, and the Aggies scored 30 points off of 20 turnovers to beat the Highlanders in season opener for both at Las Cruces, N.M.

NEVADA 72, MONTANA STATE 63: Freshman Luke Babbitt had 20 points and 12 rebounds, sophomore Armon Johnson added 16 points and the Wolf Pack opened the season with a victory for the fifth time in the last six years, defeating the Bobcats at Bozeman, Mont.

Louisiana Tech 61, Louisiana-Lafayette 59: Junior Jamel Guyton scored 27 points, including two free throws with 19 seconds left for a 61-57 lead as the visiting Bulldogs held on for a season-opening victory over the Ragin' Cajuns at Lafayette, La.

RANKED WOMEN

No. 4 Oklahoma 88, UC-Riverside 57: All-America center Courtney Paris scored 16 points to move into second place on the school's career scoring list and the Sooners opened their season with a rout of the Highlanders in the Preseason National Invitation Tournament at Norman, Okla.

No. 7 Tennessee 68, San Francisco 39: Freshman Glory Johnson had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and the Lady Vols started the second half with a 24-4 run for a 56-28 lead in cruising past the Dons in the season opener for both at Knoxville, Tenn.

No. 10 Louisville 82, Tennessee Tech 49: Senior forward Angel McCoughtry scored 29 points to become the school's career scoring leader among women with 1,906 points, helping the Cardinals rout the Golden Eagles at Cookeville, Tenn.

NO. 13 Texas 66, Dayton 40: Erika Arriaran and Earnesia Williams each scored 10 points, and the Longhorns hit seven straight shots to open a 22-12 lead they never lost in beating the Flyers in the first round of the World Vision Classic at Austin, Texas.

No. 25 Old Dominion 93, St. Mary's 63: Tiffany Green scored 19 points to lead four teammates in double figures and the Lady Monarchs put together a 25-8 run in the first half and led 52-32 at the break in cruising past the Gales in the first round of the World Vision Classic at Austin, Texas.