North Carolina 2011-12 Basketball Season Preview

By Caleb Thurman

The North Carolina Men's Basketball Team enters the 2012 season as the consensus favorite to cut down the nets in April.  After a sluggish start to last year, the Tar Heels bounced back to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Regular Season Championship and earn a number two seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they would eventually fall to the Kentucky Wildcats in the Elite Eight.  

From L-R: Zeller, Barnes, Henson

It wasn’t long after this loss that a meeting occurred in the house of Senior center Tyler Zeller where he, Junior forward John Henson, and Sophomore superstar forward Harrison Barnes agreed to pass on being possible NBA first-round draft picks and return to UNC in hopes of winning the 2012 National Championship.  The trio’s decision secured the return of all five starters from the previous season which includes Sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall and Junior guard Dexter Strickland.

Along with their return, the Tar Heels add the ninth-ranked recruiting class (according to Scout.com), headlined by 6-8 power forward James McAdoo. UNC also boosted their outside shooting with the addition of P.J. Hairston, a big-bodied Freshman shooting guard from Greensboro, North Carolina.

Lofty expectations have been set for this upcoming year, a challenge welcomed by Coach Roy Williams.  Since his first season at UNC in 2003, the Heels have been the preseason favorite three times: 2005, 2009, and now 2012.  After championships were delivered in ’05 and ’09, it’s easy to see why the hype around this upcoming season is surging on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.

STARTING FIVE

PG Kendall Marshall:  Nicknamed “Butter” by his teammates for his smooth play, Marshall was handed the reigns to the UNC team after the surprising departure of Larry Drew II midway through last season.  Under the leadership of the 6-4 point guard, the Tar Heels won twelve of their last fourteen games.  Marshall led the ACC in assists with 6.2 per game in only his first season, earning him numerous postseason accolades which included making third-team All-ACC and The Sporting News Freshman All-America team.  One has to wonder just what “Butter” will achieve as a starter for an entire season.  Expect to see numerous highlight reel dunks being set up by the Tar Heels’ leading point man Kendall Marshall this season.

G Dexter Strickland:  Strickland struggled at times last year with scoring, in large part due to nagging injuries.  By NCAA Tournament time, Dexter was finally healthy and was instrumental in the Heels’ Elite Eight run, averaging 10.3 ppg over four games on 55.7 percent shooting.  This do-it-all Junior guard is one of the key pieces to the starting lineup for the Tar Heels.  Designated as the defensive stopper of the backcourt, the New Jersey native also spends time at the point to give Kendall Marshall a rest.  As long as he can stay healthy, expect Strickland to contribute more on offense this year while also bringing toughness and grit on defense.

Barnes

F Harrison Barnes:  After coming out of the gates slow to start last season, Barnes finally blossomed into the player he was projected to be after Kendall Marshall replaced Larry Drew II as the starting point guard.  Over his last ten games, Barnes averaged an impressive 21.5 points while shooting 46.5 percent from the floor (38.7 percent from three-point range).  Barnes was named ACC Rookie of the Year and second-team All-ACC.  To go along with a knack for hitting shots late in games, Harrison also scored 40 points in the ACC Tournament Semifinal against Clemson, the most ever by a Freshman in ACC Tournament history.  Barnes has been named to The Associate Press’ preseason All-American team for the second straight year, so look for him to undoubtedly pick up right where he left off last season as a legit contender for the National Player of the Year Award.

F John Henson:  The freakishly-long Junior forward enters the season with the fourth most blocked shots in UNC history, a stat that he will no doubt build upon.  With a 7-5 wingspan, it’s obvious why opponents have such a hard time scoring around the basket when he’s in the paint.  Last season, Henson averaged 3.2 block per game and was named National Defensive Player of the Year by Fox Sports.com and Yahoo! Sports.  He was also named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award and was the first Heel to ever do so.  Not only was Henson’s post defense outstanding, but he was also able to average a double-double with 11.7 points and 10.1 rebounds.  John Henson will continue to do more of the same this season as part of the consensus best frontcourt in the nation.

C Tyler Zeller:  This 7-0, 250 lbs. Senior center from Indiana makes up the other half of the best frontcourt in college basketball.  After being plagued with injuries his first two seasons, Zeller was able to stay relatively healthy last year and came through big time for the Heels.  Dubbed “Big Z” by fans and teammates, Zeller averaged 15.7 ppg on an ACC-best 54.7 percent shooting.  Coach Williams has often said that Zeller is the most fundamentally-sound defensive player on the team and he showed that by being named defensive player of the game a team-high eleven times.  In the NCAA Tournament, Zeller was nearly unstoppable, averaging 25.8 points and 8.8 rebounds over four games.  Big Z will need to match his effort (and health) from last season in order to become the first Tar Heel to ever win two National Championship rings.

SIXTH MAN

G/F Reggie Bullock:  After three-point specialist Leslie McDonald went down with a potential season-ending ACL injury during the summer, Reggie Bullock knew he was going to be relied upon heavily to produce from the outside.  Coming off of a season-ending knee injury of his own last year, the 6-7 forward from Kinston, NC will give the Tar Heels a great offensive and defensive boost off the bench provided he can maintain his health.  Before his injury, Bullock averaged 6.1 ppg off the bench as a true Freshman and knocked down 29 threes.  His smooth outside shot will be much-needed this year, as three-point shooting was often an Achilles heel for UNC last season.

KEY GAMES

11/11/11 vs. Michigan State:  The Tar Heels open their season with a very tough test playing in the first basketball game ever played on an aircraft carrier (USS Vinson) against the Michigan State Spartans.  Although unranked, MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo will no doubt have his team pumped up for this historic game.

Match-up to watch:  John Henson vs. Draymond Green.  Green averaged 12.6 ppg and 8.8 rpg last season.  He will give up a significant height difference to Henson (6-7 vs. 6-11), but outweighs the lanky UNC forward by twenty pounds.

Wisconsin's Taylor

11/30/11 vs. #14 Wisconsin:  UNC will need to digest it’s Thanksgiving turkey quickly to prepare for the Badgers’ visit to Chapel Hill.  Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan generally plays at a slower tempo, so it will be interesting to see how that clashes with Coach Williams’ fast break offense. 

Match-up to watch:  Kendall Marshall vs. Jordan Taylor.  These two are seen by many as the best point guards in the nation.

12/3/11 @ #2 Kentucky:  In the most anticipated regular-season matchup of the year, the Tar Heels enter Rupp Arena in a rematch with the team that ended their 2011 season.  The Wildcats of Kentucky are loaded with young talent and return athletic Sophomore forward Terrence Jones and wiry Sophomore guard Doron Lamb.  This clash between two college basketball titans is one you won’t want to miss. 

Match-up to watch:  All of them… seriously.  This game looks to be a classic.

2/8/12 vs. and 3/3/12 @ #6 Duke:  As if we needed to tell you that these are key games, the Tar Heels will undoubtedly need to win these to prove that they are indeed the best team in the ACC.

Match-up to watch:  Dexter Strickland vs. Austin Rivers.  Duke's hot-shooting Freshman guard Rivers will get a tough test from UNC's shut-down man Strickland.  They are almost identical in size and quickness, so this will certainly be something to keep an eye on in both games.