After suffering a heartbreaking loss in the National Championship to Villanova, the North Carolina Tar Heels return a majority of their rotation from last year. Coach Roy Williams brings in a trio of top-100 hundred prospects to help soften the loss of seniors Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson. Tar Heel fans are used to success, and expectations for this season are no different in Chapel Hill. If UNC wants to return to the Final Four they will need someone to step into the spotlight and be that go to guy the gets a team from very good to great.

ACC Roundup

Boston College

Clemson

Duke

Florida State

Georgia Tech

Louisville

Miami

Last Season

North Carolina entered last season as the number one team in the nation thanks to a potent scoring attack led by seniors Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige. The Tar Heels started the season without Paige in the lineup thanks to a broken hand, but won their first three games of the season by an average of over 23 points regardless. In their first road game of the season, North Carolina traveled to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take on the Panthers of Northern Iowa is what was suppose to be a homecoming game for the senior. However, with Paige still recovering from his injury, the Tar Heels were shocked by Northern Iowa giving them their first loss on the season. UNC bounced back quickly by capturing the CBE Hall of Fame Classic title with wins over Northwestern and Kansas State.

North Carolina returned home and welcomed Paige back to the lineup just in time for the ACC-B1G challenge in which the Tar Heels were matched up with #2 Maryland. Paige scored 20 points and led UNC to an 89-81 victory over the Terrapins. The Tar Heels then thrashed Davidson by 33 points and climbed back up to #3 in the nation before traveling to Austin, Texas to take on the University of Texas Longhorns. In the second time in as many road games, North Carolina was shocked and fell to the Longhorns 82-84. Following the loss, North Carolina fell to #11 in the nation and out of the top-10 for the only time all season. UNC would go on to win their final four games of the non-conference portion of the season by an average of 23 points, including a 13-point neutral court victory over #22 UCLA.

The Tar Heels entered conference play with a record of 11-2 and quickly pushed that to 19-2 after winning their first eight ACC games. The toughest test during this stretch was at Virginia Tech, where the Hokies played UNC close the entire game before falling 75-70. After rattling off 12 straight wins, North Carolina lost another pair of road games back-to-back. The first was a six-point loss to #19 Louisville, and the second was a four-point loss to a Notre Dame team that would make it all the way to the Elite Eight. UNC would win their next two games before hosting Duke in a midweek rivalry game. The Tar Heels had an eight-point lead with under seven minutes to play, but the Blue Devils came storming back down the stretch to snatch a one-point victory, 73-74.

UNC won four of their final five games highlighted by victories over #11 Miami and at #17 Duke to finish the regular season with a record of 25-6 (14-4). This gave the Tar Heels their first regular title since 2012 and gave them a double-bye in the ACC Tournament. In the quarterfinals, North Carolina handled Pittsburg by 17 points before dismantling Notre Dame by 31 points in the semifinals. In the ACC Championship, UNC matched up with second-seeded Virginia and snuck out a four-point victory to win their first ACC Tournament title in eight years. On Selection Sunday North Carolina was awarded the school’s fifteenth one seed since 1979 when the NCAA began to seed schools for the Big Dance.

In their first round matchup, the Tar Heels played the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast University who qualified for the NCAA Tournament by winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament. The Eagles played valiantly and only trailed UNC by one point going into halftime. After the break, North Carolina woke up and ended up handling FGCU by 16 points. In the second round, North Carolina used a 51-point second half to run by ninth-seeded Providence by the score of 85-66. The Tar Heels continued their dominance in the Sweet Sixteen where they dropped 101 points on fifth-seeded Indiana in a 15-point victory.

In the Elite Eight, North Carolina ran into a familiar foe in sixth-seeded Notre Dame. Led by a double-double by Brice Johnson, the Tar Heels notched their fourth double-digit win in the NCAA tournament when they beat the Fighting Irish by the score of 88-74. UNC found themselves matched up with a second straight ACC school in the Final Four when they played eleventh-seeded Syracuse. Many believed that the Orange didn’t belong in the NCAA Tournament, but Jim Boeheim’s crew proved the doubters wrong with the school’s second trip to the Final Four in four years. Their run came to an end against North Carolina, who beat the Orange 83-66 to book their first appearance in the championship game since 2009, when they won it all.

Unfortunately for UNC they would fall agonizingly short against the Villanova Wildcats. In what will go down as one of the greatest championship games in NCAA history, the Wildcats’ Kris Jenkins hit a shot for the ages as time expired to give Villanova their first championship since 1985. The Tar Heels lost Marcus Paige, Brice Johnson, and Joel James to graduation following the season, with both Paige and Johnson being drafted into the NBA.

Coaching

After playing on the freshman team at North Carolina, Roy Williams began his coaching career in 1973 when he was hired as the head coach at Charles D. Owens High School. Over the five years that Williams spent at the school he also coached golf, football, and even served as athletic director for the school for a couple of years. In 1978 Williams returned to UNC to serve as an assistant under the legendary Dean Smith. During his first stint on the Tar Heels’ sideline, Roy Williams was a part of four teams that made the Elite Eight including two trips to the finals and the 1982 National Championship.

After spending a decade as an assistant, Williams left his alma mater to take his first collegiate head coaching position at Kansas University. The Jayhawks were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament in Williams’ first year at the school due to sanctions placed on the university for recruiting violations under previous coach,Larry Brown. Williams guided his team to a 19-12 (6-8) record in his first season, one of only two in his entire career where he didn’t eclipse the 20-win plateau. In his second season in Lawrence, Williams saw a dramatic improvement in his squad as they won 30 games and were awarded the two seed in the East Regional. The Jayhawks entered with high hopes, but were upset in the second round by seventh-seeded UCLA.

Roy Williams had continued success throughout his time at KU where he made the NCAA Tournament in each of the fourteen seasons the school was eligible to participate, including four Final Fours and two appearances in the National Championship. After losing the 2003 championship to Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange, Roy Williams left Kansas to return home, and on April 15th, 2003 he was named the 18th head coach in North Carolina history. Coach Williams’ first season as North Carolina’s head coach was similar to his first at Kansas as he guided the Tar Heels to a 19-11 (8-8) record. However, unlike at KU, the Tar Heels we eligible for the Big Dance and received a six seed. UNC beat Air Force in the first round before falling to the Texas Longhorns in the second round.

In his second season as North Carolina’s head coach, Roy Williams returned the program to their winning ways and delivered the school its first national championship in twelve years. Led by four eventual first-round picks from the 2005 draft, the Tar Heels went 33-4 over the course of the season and topped Illinois in the championship game by the score of 75-70. The Tar Heels took a step backward in Williams’ third season, going 23-8 and getting knocked out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Starting with the 2006 season the Tar Heels dominated the college basketball world for three seasons going 101-17 with two trips to the Final Four. This run culminated with Williams winning his second NCAA Championship in 2009 and featured six future NBA players.

In 2010, he missed the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in his career. The Tar Heels struggled in ACC play going a meager 5-11 in conference games. This season proved to only be a bump in the road for Roy Williams’ squad as they would return to the NCAA Tournament the very next year and make back-to-back Elite Eights in 2011 and 2012. After a pair of second round exits in 2013 and 2014, the Tar Heels returned to the Sweet Sixteen in 2015. Last season Roy Williams returned to the Final Four for the first time in seven years, and his eighth time overall. While the Tar Heels fell just short of the title, they put together a very impressive season in which they won both the ACC regular season and tournament titles.

Over the course of his career Roy Williams has put together a record of 783-209 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. He has coached 36 NBA players including Paul Pierce, Raymond Felton, and Ty Lawson among others. Despite having his knee replaced over the summer, Coach Williams has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Returning Players

While the Tar Heels did lose stars Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige, as well as reserve big man Joel James, they return everyone else from their national runner-up team. Eight players that played in at least 30 games last season, including six that averaged at least 15 MPG, are back for UNC and will provide plenty of experience to this year’s edition of the team. Joel Berry leads a talented quartet of returnees in a backcourt that also features Nate Britt, Kenny Williams, and Theo Pinson. In the frontcourt the Tar Heels are anchored by Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks down low with Justin Jackson and Luke Maye returning at the forward positions.

Berry emerged as one of the top players on North Carolina’s roster last year, averaging 12.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.8 APG. The 6′ guard out of Apopka, Florida is an excellent floor general who is respected by all of his teammates. He shows excellent body control when attacking the basket and is equally capable of finishing it over bigger defenders or setting up a teammate in scoring position. As a sophomore, Berry was a much improved three-point shooter, knocking down 38% of his three-point attempts. On the defensive side of the ball, Berry stays in front of his man thanks to his quick feet and led the Tar Heels in steals with 58 last season.

Senior Nate Britt will backup Berry at the point guard position this season. The 6’1 lefty averaged 5.1 PPG in only 15 minutes of action a night. Britt also posted a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season. While he is by no means a knockdown shooter from behind the arc, Britt is respectable and must be accounted for by the defense. Britt is at his best when he is pushing the ball in transition and has a knack for navigating his way through opposing defenses.

The Tar Heels have much less certainty at the shooting guard position with Kenny Williams being the only natural two on the roster. The 6’4 Virginian didn’t get much use last season, playing only 122 minutes over the course of 30 games. Williams is a high IQ guard who can make plays both with and without the ball in his hands. He is an excellent shooter who sets his feet and gets his shot off quickly. Williams does a good job of finding the open teammate when he penetrates and rarely makes mistakes with the ball. In his limited action as a freshman, Williams only turned the ball over once all season. Williams is a solid defender who stays in front of his man and is consistently engaged at all times.

Theo Pinson is probably a more natural small forward than shooting guard, but can play the two in a pinch. The junior upped his production across the board during his sophomore season at Chapel Hill, averaging 4.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.9 APG in 18.7 MPG. Pinson can beat any given defender and finishes efficiently around the rim due to his elite level athleticism. He is also comfortable pulling up for a mid-range jumper and has shown improvement from behind the arc during his time in college. Pinson showed he was much more than just a scorer last season after finishing third on the team in assists with 115.

Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, Pinson was recently sidelined after fracturing a bone in his right foot. As of now, there is no timetable for Pinson’s return, so the Tar Heels will be forced to turn to unproven guards like Williams and the pair of freshmen guards to pick up the slack until he is medically cleared to play.

The Tar Heels lose a lot of production down low when Brice Johnson graduated, and will be looking to a pair of seniors in Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks. Meeks is a consistent scoring threat down low and averaged just under 10 PPG in only 20 minutes of action each night. He establishes a wide base and is very difficult to knock off-balance when he has the ball down low. Meeks has good hands and rarely bobbles the ball when catching a pass or when battling for a rebound. Meeks won’t wow you with his athleticism, but on defense he is generally in good position and is capable of stopping opposing bigs in one on one situations.

Hicks is the reigning ACC sixth-man of the year and will be looking to build on his performance last season. As a junior, Hicks averaged 8.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg in just 18.1 minutes a game for the Tar Heels. He is an extremely efficient offensive player that converted over 60% of his shot attempts last season. The 6’9 big man is a great offensive rebounder, and does a very good job of carving out space under the rim before going after the ball. Like Meeks, Hicks won’t wow you with his athleticism on either side of the ball. However, Hicks is a solid defender who was third on the team in blocks last year.

Justin Jackson was a key cog in the Tar Heels’ success last season averaging 12.2 PPG, good for fourth on the team. The 6’8 wing provided stability to the Tar Heels lineup by making 38 starts and scoring in double figures 28 times. Jackson is a versatile player that makes smart decisions with the ball, and is also a solid rebounder. While Jackson is capable of knocking down a three-point shot, he is far from a sure thing and actually shot worse as a sophomore than as a freshman from deep. Jackson will be one of the Tar Heels’ primary options on offense this season, but must improve his outside shooting to space the floor for Meeks and Hicks to operate down low.

The final player that returns for the Tar Heels is 6’8 North Carolina native, Luke Maye As a freshman last season, Maye was used sparingly and only averaged 1.4 PPG and 1.7 RPG. Maye is a face-up power forward with excellent range and can really get hot in catch and shoot scenarios. He can be physical under the hoop and is a willing rebounder with a nose for the ball. Maye provides a nice change of pace off the bench and serves as a perfect complement to Hicks or Meeks with his floor-spacing ability. The biggest knock on Maye is his lack of athleticism, which may limit him to more of a catch and shoot role this season. This may be the best role for him this season with a pair of talented upperclassmen ahead of him, and will allow him to get quality minutes and continue to develop.

Incoming Players

North Carolina welcomes three top-100 recruits from the class of 2016 led by #17 Tony Bradley. Listed at 6’10, 240 lbs, Bradley enters his freshman year ready to contribute down low for the Tar Heels. Bradley is an excellent scorer near the basket who uses a verity of moves and can finish with either hand. He is a solid rebounder who goes straight up and keeps the ball high once it is secured. On defense, Bradley is a very good shot blocker who does a good job of contesting without fouling.

Coach Williams also brought in a pair of guards in 2016, with the first being Brandon Robinson. The 6’5 guard is an excellent scorer who gets it done at all three levels, but is most successful taking jump shots. Robinson is excellent in catch and shoot situations and has an impressive mid-range jump shot off of the dribble. The Tar Heels ranked last in three-point shooting percentage last season and will have to improve if they want to have another strong season. Robinson can give North Carolina a constant threat from deep and help space the floor for the Tar Heel bigs to work without being harassed by double teams.

The other guard North Carolina welcomes this season is powerful combo guard, Seventh Woods. The powerfully built Woods may be one of the most athletic players in the class of 2016 and attacks the rim with ferocity. Woods is a solid ball handler who knifes his way through the defenses and has excellent body control around the rim. While he isn’t the most consistent shooter from deep, Woods is capable of heating up and knocking his share of three-pointers. Woods is much more of a scorer than distributor at this point in his career, but he has shown growth as a passer and is a great secondary ball handler.

Season Outlook

Even though the Tar Heels aren’t starting the season as the top-ranked team in the nation, expectations are still high in Chapel Hill. With six players from last year’s rotation returning the Tar Heels have plenty of experience back, but no true star to turn to in late game situations. All three freshman can make an impact at some point this season, especially Robinson with his three-point shooting. Like most seasons, UNC will be in contention for a top seed in March and has the potential to return to the Final Four for the second straight year. If the Tar Heels can improve their outside shooting they will be a hard team to stop come March.