Record 27-7
UNC lost seniors Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson after the heartbreaking loss in the Ncaa final last year and yet, Coach Roy Williams and his players were able to turn that negativity into a source of motivation. The Tar Heels are the 6th best offense in Division I (86.5 PPG) scored over 100 points 4 times and over 90 points 9 times. Beyond the numbers, the scary part is how fluid their offense looks. In the NC State game the Tar Heels executed at such a high level the game was virtually after 20 minutes (107-56 the final). If defense was as good as their offense, North Carolina would be the clear favorite to win it all. Beside defense, their focus seems to be erratic this season. Sometimes, for no obvious reason, the team is just off for long stretches of the game, allowing their opponents go on huge runs. It happened just that in the ACC semifinal against Duke, and the Tar Heels did not even try in a regular season against Miami. UNC is a great team, but there are question marks.
Key Players
Justin Jackson is the top scorer and MVP of the ACC and the most likely player to jump to the Nba, but saying he is the one player to focus on would be a stretch, because there really is none. It’s part of the system coach Williams implemented. Still, UNC has plenty of talent to watch, starting with PG Joel Berry II and Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks and freshman Tony Bradley in the frontcourt. The latter seems to be the only other player that might reach the Nba. Theo Pinson is back from an ankle injury and he is certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Prediction
The Elite Eight are the minimum goal for North Carolina, although a college like UNC must aim for the Final Four