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UNC Basketball: 5 reasons why the Tar Heels will be better than Duke in 2018-19

By Brian Rauf

CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 10: Luke Maye #32 and Kenny Williams #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels react during their game against the Northern Iowa Panthers at the Dean Smith Center on November 10, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 10: Luke Maye #32 and Kenny Williams #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels react during their game against the Northern Iowa Panthers at the Dean Smith Center on November 10, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 07: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Kenny Williams #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dribble with the ball in the second half during the second round of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 07: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Kenny Williams #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dribble with the ball in the second half during the second round of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

1. Experience matters

We’ve seen this narrative before in college basketball. Teams with several high-profile freshmen (like Duke) steal all the preseason hype but often fail to deliver on their lofty expectations, while experienced teams that fly more under the radar end up on top of the polls at the end of the season.

Head coach Roy Williams has had rosters loaded with experience since he took over in Chapel Hill (they’re just now starting to get into the one-and-done game) and that will be the case with the Tar Heels again. UNC returns eight players that were part of the rotation last season, and with three top-70 freshmen (including two in the top 25 in Nassir Little and Coby White) entering the fold as well, UNC doesn’t just have depth – they have experienced depth.

The NCAA Tournament has shown us just how much experience means in college basketball in recent years. Five of the last six national champions (Villanova in 2018 & 2016, UNC in 2017, UConn in 2014, and Louisville in 2013) were led by experience-laden rosters full of upperclassmen.

So, yes, Duke has more of the national hype right now, but a roster of freshmen-led stars like theirs has only won one national title (Kentucky, 2012) in the one-and-done era. UNC’s roster has the makeup and the blueprint to win national championship No. 7.

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