North Carolina Tar Heels
ACC (24-10, 12-6)
Purchase North Carolina Merchandise
North Carolina has not lived up to their always lofty expectations, but Coach Roy Williams’ squad has played relatively consistently. For the most part they have beaten the teams they should beat. There really is not a horrible loss on the schedule. That may not lead the Tar Heels to the Final Four, but this is a team that should win a couple games in March.
Big Wins: 12/29 UNLV (79-73), 2/16 Virginia (93-81), 2/23 North Carolina State (76-65)
Bad Losses: 11/20 vs Butler (71-82), 12/19 at Texas (67-85), 1/6 at Virginia (52-61)
Coach: Roy Williams (10 seasons at North Carolina)
Why They Can Surprise:
As usual, North Carolina is a high scoring team that is loaded with depth and talent. The Tar Heels can go 11 deep without much of a problem. Reggie Bullock, P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald lead a backcourt orientated attack. Bullock is the most prolific and consistent shooter on the team but, at 6-7, will also use his size to get into the paint and finish. Hairston is not too far behind Bullock when it comes to knocking down the long ball. McDonald is a quality shooter too, but he has not come back from an ACL injury as strong as hoped. Yet, McDonald is at least a fine shooting option off of the bench. And he can be much more than that on a good day. The versatile Dexter Strickland rounds out the talented group of wings, but he can also run the point.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The questions heading into the postseason are the same questions that were prevalent heading into the 2012-2013. Can freshman Marcus Paige effectively run the point? Paige has done an admirable job and he will be a great point guard, but for now his outside shooting needs to improve and freshman mistakes can be extremely costly, especially in the tournament. The other concern was finding a frontcourt mate for James Michael McAdoo. McAdoo has done his best to make the frontcourt relevant by leading the team with 14.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest. But nobody has stepped up and claimed the other forward spot. Desmond Hubert started much of the year, but only averaged about a dozen minutes per game. Joel James, J.P. Tokoto and Brice Johnson are all contributors too, but none have been consistent enough for Coach Williams to comfortably give them 20-25 minutes per game. The good news is that there are options and talent, but it is raw talent and the frontcourt will be hit or miss.
Probable Starters:
Marcus Paige, Freshman, Guard, 8.0 ppg, 4.7 apg
Dexter Strickland, Senior, Guard, 8.0 ppg, 4.2 apg
Reggie Bullock, Junior, Guard, 14.2 ppg, 2.9 apg, 6.6 rpg
James Michael McAdoo, Sophomore, Forward, 14.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg
Desmond Hubert, Sophomore, Forward, 1.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
P.J. Hairston, Sophomore, Guard, 14.3 ppg, 1.3 apg, 4.2 rpg
Joel James, Freshman, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg
Brice Johnson, Freshman, Forward, 5.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Leslie McDonald, Junior, Guard, 7.4 ppg, 1.2 apg
J.P. Tokoto, Freshman, Forward, 2.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.9 (17th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.6 (225, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.3 (120, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.9 (134, 8)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.3 (71, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.9 (57, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.1 (269, 10)
Rebound Margin: 2.9 (92, 2)
Assists Per Game: 17.4 (3, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 (112, 8)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Vermont
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over Creighton
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Ohio
2012 NCAA Regional Final loss to Kansas
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Long Island
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Washington
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Marquette
2011 NCAA Regional Final loss to Kentucky
2010 NIT First Round win over William & Mary
2010 NIT Second Round win over Mississippi State
2010 NIT Quarterfinal win over UAB
2010 NIT Semifinal win over Rhode Island
2010 NIT Final loss to Dayton
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Radford
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over LSU
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Gonzaga
2009 NCAA Regional Final win over Oklahoma
2009 NCAA National Semifinal win over Villanova
2009 NCAA National Final win over Michigan State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Mount St. Mary's
2008 NCAA Round of 32 win over Arkansas
2008 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Washington State
2008 NCAA Regional Final win over Louisville
2008 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Kansas
*all team stats through 3/10
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
