North Carolina Basketball: 5 Burning Questions for Tar Heels’ Offseason
North Carolina traveled a rocky road last season with the departure of the Big Four. The Tar Heels were working with very little starting experience, and most players were forced into roles they haven’t been at UNC.
Heck, by the end of the season, P.J. Hairston was playing power forward and James Michael McAdoo was at center. It worked out, though.
So did starting Marcus Paige as a freshman.
Now all three players have starting experience, and everyone is much more aware of these players’ deficiencies. With a six-month break before the 2013-14 starts, they will all have time to work out those kinks with coaches, teammates and former Tar Heels.
That goes for the rest of the team, too.
How much success the Tar Heels will have next season will all hinge on positive answers for these five burning questions.
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North Carolina Basketball: Ranking the 5 Most Hyped Recruits in ‘Heels History
When it comes to North Carolina basketball, hyped—and many times over-hyped—recruits are the norm. It’s just a part of the territory for distinguished programs such as UNC.
But with that, ranking the five most hyped recruits in Tar Heels’ history becomes quite the daunting task. Including the latest recruits, Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks, Chapel Hill has housed 67 McDonald’s All-Americans since its inception in 1977.
With all the star recruits that have landed at UNC, many players are virtually interchangeable. However, these five recruits stand above the rest.
Given the fact recruiting hype has never been at the level it is today with the internet and 24-hour media coverage, modern-era recruits have a little more weight in these rankings. Recruiting hype used to travel through word of mouth and the occasional newspaper.
In 2013, you couldn’t avoid Andrew Wiggins talk if you wanted to.
The recruiting trail has simply become a whole new demon. But even so, that didn’t keep a couple pre-90s Tar Heels out of this top five.
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North Carolina Basketball: 5 Storylines to Monitor During Tar Heels’ Offseason
For the next six months, North Carolina fans will have to live their lives without their beloved Tar Heels. While that is no easy task for such a passionate fanbase, following the offseason storylines will assist in passing the time.
I’m here to give you the most crucial UNC stories to keep up with during the spring and summer months.
Each of the five storylines will provide a fairly accurate gauge for what this 2013-14 squad will be capable of doing. Nothing is like seeing the team in action against real competition, but it’s all about making the best of what we have.
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North Carolina Basketball: 5 Storylines to Monitor During Tar Heels’ Offseason
For the next six months, North Carolina fans will have to live their lives without their beloved Tar Heels. While that is no easy task for such a passionate fanbase, following the offseason storylines will assist in passing the time.
I’m here to give you the most crucial UNC stories to keep up with during the spring and summer months.
Each of the five storylines will provide a fairly accurate gauge for what this 2013-14 squad will be capable of doing. Nothing is like seeing the team in action against real competition, but it’s all about making the best of what we have.
View full post on Bleacher Report – College Basketball
North Carolina Basketball: How Tar Heels Match Up with Every ACC Team Right Now
Is it too early to match up the North Carolina Tar Heels with every ACC team?
Probably. But that’s what we’re doing anyway.
At this time, we still don’t know if top recruit Andrew Wiggins will decide to take his talents to Chapel Hill or somewhere else. That makes it kind of difficult to break down positional matchups, as Wiggins would likely take the 3 spot.
On top of that, we have no clue which of the five possible centers will be starting.
With all the questions floating around Chapel Hill, most of the focus will be on the challenges each of these programs bring and how good they will be next year. They are also ranked from the least competitive programs to the ones that will present the most problems for the Tar Heels.
Consider this my super-early ACC preview.
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North Carolina Basketball: Breaking Down Every Addition and Departure
Reggie Bullock and Dexter Strickland were a couple big losses for North Carolina this year. Fortunately, Roy Williams was able to being in his typical solid class to help UNC fill those voids.
Most importantly, he was able to retain James Michael McAdoo and P.J. Hairston, which takes a ton of pressure off these incoming freshmen—not to mention the returning sophomores.
Do the losses outweigh the gains, though?
That’s what we’ll figure out over the next few slides, as I break down every addition and departure for the Tar Heels in 2013.
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North Carolina Basketball: Top Highlights from Reggie Bullock’s Career
Reggie Bullock has been overshadowed through most of his career at North Carolina. He came in with the No. 1 overall prospect, Harrison Barnes, in 2010. Then as soon as Barnes left for the NBA, it was James Michael McAdoo taking the spotlight at UNC, leaving Bullock in the shadows once again.
Perhaps his ever-humble, team-first demeanor played a part in that, too.
But not today. Today we celebrate Bullock’s career as a Tar Heel with five of his greatest highlights from the three years he spent at Chapel Hill.
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North Carolina Basketball: Projected Stats for Each Incoming 2013 Recruit
With North Carolina’s 2012-13 season all wrapped up and three 2013 recruits locked down, it’s time to enter the prediction zone.
I have no doubt Isaiah Hicks, Kennedy Meeks and Nate Britt will make their marks on UNC’s 2013-14 season. But how much will these young Tar Heels be able to contribute?
With both P.J. Hairston and James Michael McAdoo coming back for their junior seasons, there may not be a lot of room for these incoming freshmen to get their time in the spotlight. Unless Roy Williams decided to go small again—which I highly doubt—the power forward position is locked up for about 30 of the 40 minutes.
That means Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks may have to battle with Joel James, Brice Johnson and Desmond Hubert for minutes at the 5.
And we though it was a merry-go-round last year…
As tough as it was to predict stats for last year’s incoming freshmen, the 2013 group will make my job even harder. But we’re giving it a go anyway.
*Senior stats are provided courtesy of Inside Carolina*
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East Carolina Wins the College Insider Tournament on Historic Buzzer Beater
History was made Tuesday when the East Carolina Pirates beat the Weber State Wildcats in the finals of the College Insider Tournament, 77-74.
The win marks the first tournament championship in ECU basketball history and will result in the first men’s basketball banner to hang from the empty rafters of Minges Coliseum.
The Wildcats came into last night’s game winning 14 straight home games, losing just once in the Dee Events Center all season. The Pirates were definite underdogs, but delivered with great guard play from Miguel Paul and a Maurice Kemp’s ninth straight game with 20-plus points.
The competition was fierce through the first half. Wildcats’ guard Scott Bamforth came out of the gate shooting, knocking down the first six points of the game on two three-pointers. It was the Pirates’ big men that kept them in the game. Ty Armstrong threw down a vicious slam five minutes into the game and hit four one-handed jumpers a few feet outside of the paint in the first half.
After being down six at one point, the Pirates headed into the locker room up seven at the half.
The second half told a similar story, a back-and-fourth affair.
With three minutes remaining, the Pirates found themselves down 71-65, but a clutch three from Maurice Kemp and a momentum-swinging alley-oop by Robert Sampson, assisted by Miguel Paul, gave the Pirates a one-point lead with 38 seconds remaining. Then, a bad foul from Paul put star point guard Davion Berry on the line for two shots.
After sinking the first one, Berry missed the second and gave the Pirates the opportunity for the last shot. With time ticking away, University of Rhode Island transfer Akeem Richmond stepped back and hit a three-pointer as time expired. It dropped, sealing the most significant victory in the history of ECU’s basketball program.
The win moved ECU’s record to 23-13 and dropped Weber State’s record to 30-7.
ECU will join the soon-to-be renamed Big East conference in 2014.
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Richmond 3 lifts E. Carolina over Weber St, 77-74 (Yahoo! Sports)
OGDEN, Utah (AP) — The odds all season have been against East Carolina.
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