Busting Brackets
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North Carolina Basketball: No Kevin Knox for Tar Heels, what now?

Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) cuts the net after the win against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. North Carolina defeated Gonzaga 71-65. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) cuts the net after the win against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. North Carolina defeated Gonzaga 71-65. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Zach Collins (32) guards a shot by North Carolina Tar Heels forward Tony Bradley (5) during the first half in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

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Starter – Tony Bradley*

Another asterisk? This is one is a little more concrete. If Bradley returns, he starts. If he doesn’t, then the Heels are probably committed to a Brooks-Maye starting front court. Bradley’s return will be sorted out at the NBA Scouting Combine. He is one of those guys considered on the first-second round bubble right now. He would need assurance from a team that they would take him or noise that he had risen into the top twenty to stay in. The Combine is the last realistic spot before the May 24 deadline to do that.

If Bradley leaves the scouting combine and the situation is unchanged then he will return to school. The guaranteed first round contract is the true draw of the early entrant. If no one will promise him that then he is better off improving his draft stock on the court to get that next year.

Backups – Brooks, Manley, Huffman

Next: Five Best Tar Heel Games from 2016-7

That is where the Tar Heels lineup stands as of Kevin Knox deciding there was bluer grass elsewhere. It leaves a more defensive oriented roster that will have to answer some questions about where some of its offense comes from. Ideally it would be a Berry-Bradley two man game with kick out shooting, but that rests on the return of Bradley and the shooting of at least Kenny Williams.