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North Carolina Tar Heels Enter 2015-16 With High Hopes

By Matt Johnson

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There are two primary trains of thought flowing through the University of North Carolina basketball community these days.

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First, there’s the unyielding possibility of NCAA sanctions in the wake of an academic fraud scandal that made national headlines and sent a wave of panic throughout Chapel Hill. Second, and perhaps more immediate, is wondering just how good Roy Williams’ Tarheels will be in 2015-16.

Taking into account the many volumes of journalistic space already devoted to North Carolina’s academic issues (along with the fact nothing seems imminent regarding potential punishments), and now is perfect the time to take a more focused look at a Tarheels’ team that was admittedly disappointing in 2014-15.

The newest burning issue is whether Roy Williams’ team can finally live up to the hype of being one of the teams to beat in 2015-16.

After all, similar sentiments followed the Tar Heels a year ago. And while Marcus Paige and company had their moments of brilliance, there were also notable downers in a season that ended up with a middling 26-12 overall record.

The disappointments started with a fourth-point loss to Butler followed by a decisive defeat at the hands of Kentucky. The disappointments mounted after disheartening losses to Notre Dame, Virginia, N.C. State, Pittsburgh and Duke.

All told, North Carolina went just 11-7 in the ACC, a far cry from the conference contender they were expected to be.

Nevertheless, hope springs eternal for a Tar Heels’ team that welcomes back the bulk of its roster from a season ago. The goal now is to turn those disappointments into big returns.

Bringing back Marcus Paige is a good start. The 6-foot-1 lead guard, thought to be amongst the best at his position entering 2015-16, averaged 14.1 points per game and had a better than 2-to-1 assists-to-turnover ratio.

Joining him are three other key returners in 6-foot-9 forward Brice Johnson, a slimmed-down Kennedy Meeks and guard-forward Justin Jackson. Each started at least 32 games and was a double-figure scorer last season.

In other words, offense doesn’t figure to be a problem for Williams’ club. The North Carolina Tar Heels averaged 75.9 points per game, and with most of their firepower returning to the mix, North Carolina should be as prolific as ever on offense.

The real question is how well North Carolina defends its own basket. While the Tar Heels allowed opponents to shoot just 39.8 percent from the field, they gave up more than 10 offensive rebounds per contest, committed more turnovers than they forced and allowed the opposition to average better than 70 points per contest.

If North Carolina can shore up their defense, a big season may be in-store.

None of that is lost on the 6-foot-9 Meeks, who dropped between 10 and 15 pounds to improve his conditioning and quickness during the offseason.

While the Charlotte native scored at an 11.4 clip and is a skilled offensive rebounder, the Tar Heels need him and Johnson to clean up the defensive glass with more luster. If that happens, North Carolina could become a legitimate Final Four contender.

North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina Tar Heels /

North Carolina Tar Heels

Consistency will also be a big buzzword for the Tar Heels. For all their potential, the early loss to Butler seemed to wound North Carolina’s pride and they were never the same the rest of the way. Simply put, Tar Heels needs to maintain their focus and performance to make good on all that promise.

The schedule appears manageable enough, with the first true test coming against trendy national pick Maryland on Dec. 1 at the Dean Dome. After that, non-conference games with tricky mid-major Davidson and a Shaka Smart led Texas squad set up for a potential ACC championship run.

But will North Carolina deliver? It’s difficult to know given NCAA sanction rumors continue to swirl around the program like vultures seeking a dead carcass.

What no one argues is that the North Carolina Tar Heels have the necessary pieces to make a big run, not only in the ACC, but on the national level.

The key will be putting it all together.

Next: Duke Blue Devils 2015-16 Season Preview

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