A season that started sluggish for North Carolina turned in to another trip to the NCAA Tournament thanks to a lineup tweak that saw the Tar Heels make it to the ACC Tournament final, and win a game in the NCAA Tournament. A lot of the talent from last year returns, but there are some questions.
Backourt
What is the chief question? P.J. Hairston's offseason issues. He was caught speeding, was cited for driving without a license and possession of marijuana, and was charged with reckless driving. The legal issues have been resolved, but he is indefinitely suspended. When he returns is speculative at this point, but when he is on the court, he is the team's best scorer. He averaged 14.6 points in less than 24 minutes per game. In the time he is out, the Tar Heels will rely on Leslie McDonald and J.P. Tokoto to handle his spot. At point guard, Marcus Paige had a nice freshman campaign, averaging a team high 4.6 assists per game. He should improve on those numbers quite a bit this year. His backup will be true freshman Nate Britt, who was highly touted coming out of high school.
Frontcourt
There was some surprise when James Michael McAdoo decided to return for his junior season. McAdoo was the team's second leading scorer, and led the team in rebounding. He will move from center to more of a power forward, and he should benefit from that. Aside from that, the experience is lacking a little, but it is talented. Joel James, Desmond Hubert, and Brice Johnson return, and they get two promising freshmen in in Kennedy Meeks and Isiah Hicks. It remains to be seen who will earn time beside McAdoo but Roy Williams has a wealth of options.
Schedule
There are plenty of big name teams playing the Tar Heels this year. The Hall of Fame Tipoff is set up for the Heels to meet Louisville in the championship game. UNC will play at Michigan State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, and will get Kentucky and Texas in back to back games at home. In conference play, UNC will alternate home and road games throughout the month of January, then get the next four out of five games at home, and close the season with four out of the final six on the road.
Prediction
Even though Hairston is suspended indefinitely, it is not likely to be a long term suspension, so we should see him back on the court before conference play gets going. For the time being, McAdoo can shoulder some more of the scoring, and Marcus Paige should be much better with a year of experience behind. When Hairston does return, this will be a team that will be much better than last year's team, primarily because the Tar Heels can play bigger, which was something they could not do much last year. With the talent on the roster, UNC should be back near the top of the ACC again this year.
If you want all around stats, look to James Michael McAdoo. In addition to his scoring ability, he is a strong rebounder, and can steal a pass from time to time. McAdoo had nine double double for the Heels last season, and that number should go up more this year.
