NCAA Basketball: North Carolina the worst preseason No. 1 team of all time
By Joey Loose
25. 2011-12 North Carolina
Roy Williams had a ton of success as a collegiate head coach, especially during his 18-year tenure leading North Carolina. The Tar Heels won the national titles in 2005 and 2009 and had similar aspirations just a few years later, with another impressive class of talent earning them the top spot in the initial AP rankings. They’d lose just four games in the regular season, including a road game at #1 Kentucky and a tough blowout to Florida State.
The top seven pieces in this rotation played in the NBA and their top eight players were all Top 25 members of their respective recruiting classes. Both Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller averaged at least 16 points a game and both Zeller and John Henson nearly averaged a double-double. In the backcourt, Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall were impressive in their own right, with Marshall averaging 9.8 assists per game for the Tar Heels. Throw in freshmen and future stars in P. J. Hairston and James Michael McAdoo and this 8-man rotation was preseason favorite for a reason.
After losing another tough game to Florida State in the ACC Tournament, the Tar Heels managed the top seed in their region, hoping to cut down the nets for the third time in eight years. They made relatively easy work of 16-seed Vermont and 8-seed Creighton but needed overtime against a feisty Ohio squad that made the Sweet Sixteen as a 13-seed. North Carolina’s undoing came two days later, losing a 13-point game to 2-seed Kansas and falling quite short of their preseason hopes and dreams.