It should comes as a surprise to nobody that the North Carolina Tar Heels once again have a talented roster that welcomes three more McDonald’s All-Americans and should compete for the ACC crown.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Last Season: T-3rd, 13-5 in ACC, 24-10 overall
Predicted ACC Finish: 3rd
Projected Depth Chart
C: Kennedy Meeks (So)/Joel James (Jr)/Desmond Hubert (Sr)
PF: Brice Johnson (Jr)/Isaiah Hicks (So)/Jackson Simmons (Sr)
SF: Justin Jackson (Fr)/Theo Pinson (Fr)
SG: J.P. Tokoto (Jr)
PG: Marcus Paige (Jr)/Nate Britt (So)/Joel Berry (Fr)
Gone: PF-James Michael McAdoo, SG-Leslie McDonald
2014-2015 Outlook:
With pre-season All-American (AP 1st team), Marcus Paige returning to Chapel Hill and not leaving for the NBA Draft, the Heels have one of the best guards in the country. Paige had a breakout sophomore season and becoming one of the best scorers in the conference. He should actually see more time playing off the ball this season since UNC returns point guard Nate Britt and brings in Joel Berry, one of their three McDonald’s All-Americans.
The other two are Justin Jackson and Theo Pinson who bring needed talent to what was a very thin group of wings last season. Both guys are versatile, athletic, and should help Carolina become a better outside shooting team; an area they struggled in last year. J.P. Tokoto is also back in the fold and becoming a true glue guy might be the best way for him to impact this team.
UNC has a solid group of post players with Kennedy Meeks, Joel James, Brice Johnson, and Isaiah Hicks. Meeks majorly slimmed down this off-season and should be much more effective now that he is in better shape. He has a terrific feel for the game and is a true low post scorer. Joel James will see minutes in the middle behind Meeks. He brings more physicality and rebounding to the floor.
Johnson is a lengthy and bouncy four man who needs to emerge in his junior year now that James Michael McAdoo is gone. Isaiah Hicks should see an increased role as well and brings more versatility to the frontcourt. Seniors Desmond Hubert and Jackson Simmons are likely to only see spot minutes since they nothing more than energy guys.
With perhaps the top returning player in the country and depth and talent across their entire roster, UNC is a legit top-ten team in the country. How the freshmen mesh into the equation and the frontcourt performs without McAdoo will determine if the Tar Heels are a real Final Four contender.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/22 vs. Davidson (in Charlotte)
11/26 vs. Butler (Battle 4 Atlantis)
11/27 vs. UCLA/Oklahoma (Battle 4 Atlantis)
11/28 vs. Wisconsin/UAB/Florida/Georgetown (Battle 4 Atlantis)
12/3 vs. Iowa (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
12/13 at Kentucky
12/20 vs. Ohio State (in Chicago)
OTHER ACC PREVIEWS:
#4 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
#6 SYRACUSE ORANGE
#7 FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES
#14 GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS
AAC PREVIEWS:
#1 UCONN HUSKIES
#7 UCF KNIGHTS
#8 SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS
#9 HOUSTON COUGARS
#10 TULANE GREEN WAVE
#11 EAST CAROLINA PIRATES
SEC PREVIEWS:
#1 KENTUCKY WILDCATS
BIG 12 PREVIEWS:
#1 KANSAS JAYHAWKS
#2 TEXAS LONGHORNS
PAC-12 PREVIEWS:
#1 ARIZONA WILDCATS
#4 UCLA BRUINS
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.