ATLANTA – Wednesday was a lot of fun for North Carolina and its legion of fans.

The Tar Heels rocked Michigan to the tune of a 21-point romp, exploding in the second half and pulling away from the Big Ten power.

But that was just one game, one in which the players said afterward they were fueled by the rash of criticism sent their way by the media and even fans via social media. So, the Heels bound together and made a statement.

That was one game, however, and one win doesn’t make a team. So, the next task was to do the same thing without having low-hanging fruit to serve as motivation, and Sunday’s trip to Georgia Tech was exactly the test the Heels needed to do just that.

Box checked.