UNC Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Tar Heels
By Brian Rauf
UNC basketball returns eight of their top ten scorers and welcomes in their best recruiting class in years. Can the Heels compete for the national title in 2018-19?
North Carolina enters the new college basketball season in a position they aren’t used to being in. Yes, they’ll have another experienced roster, but this Tar Heels team is going to look a little different.
For starters, UNC has blue-chip freshmen. Like actual five-star, probable one-and-done freshmen, headlined by the nation’s No. 3 overall recruit in Nassir Little. Potential NCAA sanctions stemming from the school’s academic scandal largely kept top recruits from considering the Heels, but head coach Roy Williams is capitalizing now following the resolution to that problem (or non-problem, according to the NCAA).
Carolina has been wildly successful with just really good college talent – what will they look like with some top-rated NBA talent in the mix?
Furthermore, UNC is expected to (mostly) scrap Williams’ traditional two-big lineups in favor of smaller, faster, more versatile, and better shooting lineups. Cameron Johnson and Luke Maye figure to start in the frontcourt, both of whom are more comfortable on the perimeter than with their back to the basket.
Finally, they’re also being a bit overlooked in preseason polls. Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky have stolen almost all of the preseason publicity with mid-major darlings Gonzaga and Nevada getting the rest along with reigning co-SEC champs Auburn and Tennessee. North Carolina isn’t a program that is used to being outside the realm of preseason favorites – especially when they have this much talent.
Will the Tar Heels be able to exceed those expectations? Could they return to the national title game for the third time in four years?
Here’s a full preview of North Carolina for the 2018-19 season, including a look at their projected rotation and a breakdown of their non-conference schedule.