Coming off their second national championship in five years, the Tar Heels are clearly the cream of the crop in college basketball. With Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams at the helm and a storied history including the likes of Phil Ford, James Worthy, Michael Jordan, and now Tyler Hansbrough, it doesn't look like Carolina is slowing down anytime soon.

However, doubts remain about the current incarnation of the boys in Carolina blue. Gone are Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Bobby Frasor, and Mike Copeland. Of those six, four of them have NBA futures. So how does UNC recover?

It all starts with the two seniors this year: Deon Thompson and Marcus Ginyard. For Thompson's entire career he has played in the shadow of the greatest collegiate player of the last 10 years; this year, he needs to capitalize on being the main option offensively in the post. Ginyard is coming back from a debilitating injury last season that forced him to miss all but a handful of games, but his noteworthy leadership and stellar perimeter defense will need to be complimented by some offensive output as well if this team wants to return to the Final Four.

Two other key contributors on this team are going to be Ed Davis and Larry Drew II. Davis could have gone pro after last season, but chose to stay in Chapel Hill another year to work on his offensive production. He will need to be a force in the paint opposite Thompson to be effective, and he proved that he's more than capable last season. Drew II will probably be the most scrutinized player on the floor this year; he replaces a player in Lawson who had an assist-to-turnover ration of just north of 4:1, and has little to no experience as the starter at Carolina. His development is key to this team's chances at success.

Keep an eye on the freshmen this year. The last time a class was slated to have this big of an impact was in 2006, with Hansbrough/Green/Frasor/Ginyard coming to Chapel Hill. John Henson was a consensus top-10 recruit, and his 6'10 length will be tested on the perimeter to start the season. Dexter Strickland will see key minutes at both guard positions. Leslie McDonald has a chance to be the Heels' most complete player as a freshman, and the Wear twins David and Travis will both earn playing time along the frontcourt.

The Heels also keep on reloading as well. Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program, and Williams is one of the best in locating elite talent and selling the strong points of UNC. Guards Kendall Marshall and Reggie Bullock are set to join the team after this season (both are consensus top-50 players), and UNC remains in the hunt to add the services of Harrison Barnes, the #1 player in the 2010 class. The 2011 group looks strong as well with the Heels already holding commitments from in-state superstar P.J. Hairston and top-5 talent James McAdoo.

So where is the UNC basketball program headed? Well, it's hard to say, really; after winning a national championship critics think that there isn't anywhere to go but down, however the Heels seem to have great teams lined up for the foreseeable future. The answer might not be either up or down, but rather where will this program end up in terms of all-time runs? Will it rival what UCLA accomplished under John Wooden? Will it surpass Indiana and Kentucky in terms of national titles and all-time wins?

There are still a lot of variables out there that dictate how this year's team does; a perceived lack of outside shooting, proven point guard play, and potential lapses in overall offensive production could severely retard this team's goals. However, when you're playing for national championships every year, it's easy to expect excellence. This year and beyond, the Tar Heel basketball program looks to be the best in the country, and it's not hard to think that this could be the beginning of the next great college basketball dynasty.