NCAA Basketball: Duke, Michigan State fall in latest top 25 power ranking
By Joey Loose
18. North Carolina (1-0)
Things have certainly been entertaining in Chapel Hill in recent years, though the Tar Heels are looking to avoid a repeat of last season. After a surprise run to the Final Four in Hubert Davis’s first season, North Carolina missed the Tournament entirely last year after being the preseason favorites. They’ve got Armando Bacot and RJ Davis back for another season, but a few new faces are hoping to get the Tar Heels back to the Promised Land.
Their only contest to this point was a strange performance against Radford on opening night. The Tar Heels actually trailed in the first half before pulling away for an 86-70 win over the Highlanders. Bacot had 25 points and 13 rebounds, looking to emerge as one of the nation’s best rebounders yet again, while newcomer Cormac Ryan added 13 points of his own.
It’s very easy to be underwhelmed by the Tar Heels’ performance against Radford, but it’s important to remember that this was opening night against a team that should be solid in the Big South. Davis’s squad is still figuring things out and should be okay down the stretch; though that is what we said last season early and often. We won’t really see what the Tar Heels are made of next week; they’ll be hosting Lehigh and UC Riverside in two very winnable contests.