CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina coach Larry Fedora spent the past two seasons saying it was time for his Tar Heels to compete for an Atlantic Coast Conference division title.Now that his Tar Heels have won one, the next step is winning an ACC championship and topping a season in which his team matched a program record for wins.You cant do it every once in a while, Fedora said of winning the Coastal Division and reaching the ACC title game. You need to be there. We need to get back in that game and play whoevers going to be in it. . We need to be there to keep progressing the way we want.High expectations follow an 11-win season that included an 8-0 run through the ACC behind a high-scoring offense that provided enough cover for a bend-but-dont-break defense. North Carolina (11-3) lost two shootouts to end the season, first against then-No. 1 Clemson in the ACC title game and against Baylor in the Russell Athletic Bowl.Along the way, the Tar Heels reached the top 10 for the first time since 1997.They enter this year as the preseason division favorite.We worked extremely hard last year and I think guys finally understand how that translates into success on the field, returning all-ACC tailback Elijah Hood said. Everyones trying to do a little bit more, trying to push themselves to be a little bit better. If everyone does that the team as a whole is just going to be better.Here are things to know about North Carolina for the 2016 season:BIG NUMBERSThe Tar Heels averaged school records of 40.7 points and 486.9 yards last year, highlighted by scoring 125 points combined against Miami and Duke in blowout division wins. The fast-paced attack has been the calling card for the Tar Heels first four seasons under Fedora, and the return of Hood along with receivers Ryan Switzer and Mack Hollins give new starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky plenty of weapons.I believe we have the talent to be better than our numbers said we were last year, Fedora said.TRENDING UPWARD?The defense went from record-setting bad in 2014 to adequate in its first season under defensive coordinator and former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik. And thats really all it took for the Tar Heels to make a leap. North Carolina allowed 24.5 points and 435.9 yards last year, an improvement of about 15 points and 60 yards per game. It loses linebacker leaders Jeff Schoettmer and Shakeel Rashad, but boasts a strong back end with cornerbacks Des Lawrence and M.J. Stewart.SEASON OPENERThe Tar Heels have a measuring-stick opener when they travel to Atlanta to face Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Sept. 3. Georgia has a new coach in Kirby Smart, so Fedoras staff will be guessing on exactly what to expect. North Carolina is looking for its first win against a Southeastern Conference opponent since beating Tennessee in the Music City Bowl to end the 2010 season. Winning that game would be a big credibility boost nationally for Fedoras program.KEY GAMESThe Tar Heels have two big ACC road games that stand out: at Atlantic Division power Florida State on Oct. 1 followed two weeks later by a trip to preseason Coastal No. 2 pick Miami, led by new coach Mark Richt and quarterback Brad Kaaya.PREDICTIONThe Coastal Division hasnt had a repeat champion since 2011. The Tar Heels appear positioned to buck that trend and look strong for nine or 10 wins.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the APs college football site at http://collegefootball.ap.org Pirates Jerseys 2020 . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Cheap Pirates Jerseys . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. Pittsburgh Pirates Pro Shop . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside. Stitched Pirates Jerseys . The giant slalom world champion slipped during her first run in the morning, landing on her back and then twisting forward before getting her leg caught in the protective material on the side of the slope. ATLANTA -- Tim Lincecum isnt lacking confidence even if his statistics are below average. "Every outing I go out there, I know I can take some positives from it and try not to lean on the negatives so much," he said, "because that kind of focus can lead to some compounding issues." Lincecum lost his second straight start, and left fielder Andres Torres cost him an unearned run in the sixth inning of San Franciscos 3-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday night. Freddie Freeman singled three times and drove in one run for Atlanta, which got six innings from Julio Teheran to win its second straight and take the three-game series. San Francisco, the defending World Series champion, has lost 14 of its last 20 on the road. Giants manager Bruce Bochy was proud of how Lincecum competed despite falling behind 2-0 after the second and getting no run support. "I think it says a lot about how he gutted it out and found a way to get on track," Bochy said. "He kept us in the game. It was a great job by him. He was having a hard time getting the ball where he wanted at times early in the game, but got better as he went." Braves closer Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his 19th save in 22 chances. Kimbrel struck out Torres and Joaquin Arias before retiring Nick Noonan on a flyout. Freeman, who began the night hitless in 11 career appearances against Lincecum, singled in his first three at-bats and improved his average to .456 with runners in scoring position -- third-best in the majors. One night after he drove in the winning run off Giants closer Sergio Romo, Freeman made it 1-0 in the first when his RBI single scored Andrelton Simmons from second. Freemans single in the third moved Justin Upton to second. The next batter, B.J. Upton, drove in his brother Justin from second to put Atlanta up 2-0. Lincecum (4-7) gave up six hits and five walks in six innings. Two of his three runs were earned, and he struck out three. "Some of those pitches I left up that Freeman hit, theyre kind of mistake pitches that just shouldnt happen -- like that 0-2 pitch in the first inning," Lincecum said. "Other than that, I felt good. My rhythm was good, but just a couple of guyss got away from me here and there, especially leadoff batters.dddddddddddd That will hurt you, which they did." Teheran (5-3) allowed seven hits and one walk. The 22-year-old struck out eight and benefited from stellar plays by outfielders Jason Heyward and Justin Upton in the fourth, and by Simmons at shortstop in the sixth that kept a run from scoring with the Braves holding a two-run lead. Torres, San Franciscos left fielder, hurt his team in the bottom of the sixth when Ramiro Penas single appeared to bounce off his right foot and toward the wall. Pena, who reached third on Torres two-base fielding error, scored when pinch-hitter Jordan Schafer drove him in with a sacrifice squeeze bunt to make it 3-0. "I feel terrible," Torres said. "When those kinds of things happen, you dont feel good, you know? You try to help, but at the same time, were human. We make mistakes." Teheran struggled in his previous outing, a 7-6 loss at San Diego last Monday, but he beat the Giants for the second time in two starts against them since May 9. Lincecum, a two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, has lost six of his last nine starts and has a 6.69 ERA in those losses. "You go out there and work on (timing) in between innings with your warm-up pitches," Lincecum said. "Thats the frustrating part when you cant just repeat it. Then you have to grind and make better pitches to the next guy, you know?" Luis Avilan and Jordan Walden pitched scoreless innings for Atlanta in the seventh and eighth. Jose Mijares and rookie Jake Dunning, who made his major league debut, held the Braves to one hit in the seventh and eighth. Notes: Giants CF Angel Pagan said before the game that hes still hoping to avoid surgery on his left hamstring. Pagan took a platelet-rich plasma injection behind his knee last Sunday and is still unable to run the bases. Hes missed 20 straight games with the injury. ... The Giants 6-5 loss Saturday was their first when leading after eight innings since July 4, 2012 at Washington. ... San Francisco 3B Pablo Sandoval, on the disabled list with a strained left foot, holds a narrow lead over Mets 3B David Wright in balloting for the July 16 All-Star Game in New York. ' ' '