NEW YORK -- The North Carolina Tar Heels walked off the Madison Square Garden floor and made their way through the tunnel to their locker room, wearing brand new T-shirts, clutching brand new watches. Some had a piece of the net behind their ear. Some had it in their hand. Coach Matt Doherty held a whole net in his hands.

Wait … isn't it still November?

Of course it is -- but the Tar Heels had something to celebrate, after winning the Preseason NIT 74-57 over Stanford.

It all went according to plan. Not the plan most people had for this tournament -- but Doherty's plan. The day before the Tar Heels took on No. 2 Kansas in the semifinals, during the pregame scouting report meeting, Doherty told his team what to do when they won in New York.

"He said, 'Make sure you have your scissors ready,'" said forward Sean May.

May and his fellow freshmen were sensational yet again against Stanford. May posted 12 points and seven rebounds, but it was point man Raymond Felton's turn to be the shooting star – Felton buried four 3s, twice as many as he had this season thus far. And he had the Big Apple crowd – which knows all about dynamic point guards – oohing and aahing with his dazzling dribbles and dishes.

Tournament MVP Rashad McCants scored 18, after pouring in 25 against the Jayhawks on Wednesday. McCants and the gang are clearly getting the hang of this college basketball thing. In the second half against Stanford, McCants knocked down a 3, and pointed right at Dickie V, all the while backpedaling to the defensive end. Later, after a monster dunk, McCants shot Vitale a sly smile. Talk about your Diaper Dandy.

But this victory was sweetest for the Tar Heels who took the brunt of the brutal 8-20 record last season. Amidst all the hype about the fabulous frosh, two unsung sophomores, guard Jackie Manuel and forward Jawad Williams, made huge contributions.

"This is what I always imagined it'd be like playing for Carolina," Williams said.

Manuel in particular was a major factor. The 6-foot-5 swingman started all of last year, but averaged only 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds, and shot a team-worst 32.9 percent from the field. So he hit the weights over the summer and spent countless hours on his shot. Against the Cardinal, he had 14 points, including two 3-pointers, and pulled down seven rebounds.

After locking down Kansas superstar Kirk Hinrich in the semis, Manuel's chief responsibility in the championship game was Stanford sharpshooter Matt Lottich. Lottich shot 1-for-8 from long-range.

"Jackie's defense has been fantastic," Doherty said. "He's had some tough players, and Jackie is a guy that I wouldn't want guarding me."

Manuel and his fellow upperclassmen don't seem to care about their unsung status either.

"I don't think the guys mind, as long as we win," said Manuel.

They're doing a very good job of that. After stunning Kansas on Wednesday night, Doherty said, "Four games don't make a season."

But North Carolina has shown, after five games you can cut down the nets.

It's still November. But they've come a long way.