Projected Starters
Joel Berry
Joel Berry is dealing with a broken hand and will be out for 4-6 weeks. Once he is back to full strength, he will return to the starting lineup.
Berry is one of the very best players in all of college basketball. It seems that if Berry is going well, the North Carolina offense is going to operate like a well-oiled machine. When the lights shine brightest is also when Berry shines as well. In both National Championship games, Berry has scored 20 points or more, making him the only player in NCAA history to accomplish this feat. Berry will be a huge key if North Carolina wishes to make a third Championship game.
Theo Pinson
Pinson is not much of a scorer, but do not lose sight of him on the offensive side of the floor as he does so many other things to put North Carolina in the best position to win games. Pinson is a defensive specialist. Roy Williams will often pair him up with the best offensive threat on the opposing side and Pinson usually shuts the player down. Pinson is a great rebounder and can facilitate on the offensive end of the floor. Pinson is not great at any one skill, but he is good at many things. While Pinson does not score a lot and is not a flashy player, he is the most irreplaceable piece on the Tar Heels. Without Pinson, North Carolina would be a completely different team and would have to change many things about the way they play.
Luke Maye
The hero of the Elite Eight game a year ago. Maye went from not playing at all in the middle of the year last year to sinking the winning basket in the Elite Eight game against Kentucky. Maye should have the confidence to build off of that game, and Roy Williams and company should give him the chance to see if he has developed as a player. Maye is an interesting player on this team as well, to see how he develops or if he is still just a bench player.
Cameron Johnson
The much-maligned graduate transfer from Pitt will step right in and look to be a key contributor for the Tar Heels. Johnson has familiarity with the ACC after playing for Pitt. He will be a solid player on this team and should help to shore up some of the holes missing from last year’s departures.
Garrison Brooks
The one question mark for North Carolina this year was going to be who would be their other starter. Brooks got the nod during the exhibition game and performed well. If Brooks continues to perform like he did in the exhibition game, he will earn more minutes. Roy Williams is great at developing big men and turning them into forces underneath. Brooks may be the next player in a long line of fantastic big men for North Carolina. Even though he is a little undersized at 6’9″, he is skilled around the basket and is a good enough shooter that he will still succeed in the ACC.