Preview: UNC vs. Valparaiso

Coming off two wins against (much) less talented opponents, the Tar Heels have a rare Sunday contest against Valparaiso, a team that has made the NCAA Tournament recently and played a tough game against Carolina last season. This could be a potential trap game for the Heels, but I don't see them struggling too much with an overmatched and less-talented Crusaders team. With their length and quality defense, UNC should win this game handily.

I want to see more production from John Henson. This guy is an all-purpose player, and had a tremendous skill set, but so far through two games he has not shown me the offensive prowess I expected to see. I hope that he can get it going, especially considering the weaknesses that Carolina has on the perimeter this season.

Preview: UNC vs. NCCU

After watching parts of the game against FIU, a few things became abundantly clear with this team.

1. UNC is incredibly long.
2. UNC is incredibly young.
3. UNC will absolutely rely on the play of Deon Thompson, Marcus Ginyard, and Ed Davis all year.

If the Tar Heels are going to be successful this season, they will absolutely have to cut down on the turnovers. 26 giveaways will chap any head coach, but Roy Williams especially due to his up-and-down style of play and the frenetic pace with which he wants to play. I don't think this is going to be a close game against NC Central, but against tougher opponents to come, Carolina must cut down on the unnecessary turnovers if they are going to get where they want to go this year.

Preview: FIU at UNC

All right, Tar Heel fans. The basketball season is finally here. Tonight your Heels get their first chance to defend their NCAA title against FIU.

Media types will hype this matchup because of the head coaches (UNC's Roy Williams against new FIU head man Isiah Thomas...yes, that Isiah Thomas), but let's be honest here: UNC should run away with this game. The Heels simply have too much length and experience to lose to a team like FIU, and I would be surprised if this game were close when it's all said and done.

I'm excited to get my first look at the UNC team tonight. I was unable to see the exhibition contest against Belmont Abbey, but with the talent on this team, you can guarantee that I'll be excited to watch. Enjoy the game everyone!

Preseason CBB Poll

No surprises here.

Kansas tops the preseason AP poll to begin the college basketball season, and honestly they have to be the runaway favorite right now to win their second title in three years. They return the must underrated guard in the country in Sherron Collins and the imposing big man Cole Aldrich, both of whom are on the short list for the Naismith POY Award. Add in the coaching of Bill Self and the addition of super freshman Xavier Henry, and you've got the recipe for a very dangerous team.

Michigan State, Texas, North Carolina, and Kentucky round out the top 5. The Tar Heels and Spartans met in last year's national title game, and both received first-place votes in the first poll of the season.

This is going to be a very interesting college basketball season for a number of reasons. Will Kentucky regain their championship glory under new coach John Calipari? Will the Tar Heels be as good as they were last season after losing all-everything Tyler Hansbrough and the dynamic Ty Lawson? Will Michigan State get back to the national title game after being crushed last season? Will Purdue (7th) and West Virginia (9th) live up to the lofty expectations? Will teams like Clemson (24th) and Georgetown (21st) take the next step? Who will come out of nowhere to surprise the nation?

Stay tuned, America. It's going to be a great season.

The State of UNC Basketball

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.

College Basketball Preview: UNC

All right, so as everyone knows this is the time of year where everyone around Chapel Hill starts to get really excited. Late Night with Roy is coming up, and that means basketball players dressed like the Beach Boys and dancing to some ridiculous pop song, the best Roy Williams impersonation by a player, and (possibly) the return of Divine Noel and/or Martha Vineyard. Fun for the whole family, no doubt.

But what about the product on the court for the Tar Heels? After all, they lost all-everything Tyler Hansbrough, dynamic Ty Lawson, versatile Danny Green, and deadly Wayne Ellington along with valuable contributors Bobby Frasor and Mike Copeland. Who can replace that level of production?

Start with the two seniors on this team, forwards Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson. Both have championship experience, but they've also experienced failure and disappointment. Thompson will be the primary option in the post, alongside sophomore Ed Davis, while Ginyard will be counted on to provide stellar defense and unyielding intangibles.

With a few key contributions - I see sophomore guard Larry Drew II and junior forward Will Graves as the players with the largest burdens headed into the season - and a little luck - look out for freshmen John Henson and Dexter Strickland this year - this team could end up back in the thick of it for the ACC title...and maybe more.

Basketball Preseason Rankings: ACC

So with the college basketball season right around the corner, it's time to make a useless, completely baseless preseason ranking...I mean, a completely true, absolutely accurate preseason ranking that will be set in stone! Mark it down, these are going to stick all year!

All right, seriously; here's how I see it going into the season.

1. North Carolina. This team lost almost every important contributor from last season's national championship team, including all-time ACC great Tyler Hansbrough. However, the most important loss for this team is PG Ty Lawson, who left early to go to the NBA. Sophomore Larry Drew and true freshman Dexter Strickland will be counted on to run the all-important point guard position for the Heels, and if they can play well there is no reason this team cannot repeat as regular season ACC champions.

2. Dook. Everyone can talk about how Dook isn't Dook, and how coach Mike Krzyzewski isn't completely focused on his primary job with his secondary Olympic obligations, but the bottom line here is that even with three legitimate guards on this roster (senior Jon Scheyer, junior Nolan Smith, and freshman Andre Dawkins), this team is still one of the better teams in the league. SF/PF Kyle Singler could actually be the best player in the ACC coming into the season.

3. Clemson. Two words for this team: Trevor Booker. The return of the senior forward helps this team out tremendously; he is by far their best player and really helps them on both ends of the floor with his physicality and tenacity. However, he doesn't have to do it all by himself, and the team that coach Oliver Purnell has surrounded Booker with might be his best yet since he began at Clemson.

4. Wake Forest. They lost two big-time contributors in James Johnson and Jeff Teague, but this team has everything necessary to be competitive in the ACC. Forward Al-Farouq Aminu will be counted on to be Wake's go-to guy, and fellow big men Ty Walker, Chas McFarland, and Tony Woods will make this team very hard to defend.

5. Maryland. Say what you want about guard Greivis Vasquez, but he just might be the most complete player in the ACC headed into the season. He proved in big games that he can carry the load, and he can also distribute the ball to his teammates, especially forward Landon Milbourne who will break out this year as one of the league's best players.

6. Georgia Tech. This ranking may seem a little high for the Yellow Jackets, but with a guy like Derrick Favors, your chances to win become a lot better. He may only be a freshman, but he is already Tech's best player and will be the focal point of the opposition every time they play. And I will never underestimate a Paul Hewitt team; the man is one of the more underrated coaches in America.

7. Boston College. Guard Tyrese Rice is (finally) gone, but this team will still be dangerous. Players like Rakim Sanders, Joe Trapani, and Tyler Roche need to help replace the scoring, and one of them will also need to replace the leadership that Rice represented. With no incoming recruits, the burden falls on guard Biko Paris to step up and play well as the only option at PG for the Eagles.

8. Florida State. If you want to watch a long, athletic team this season, watch the Seminoles. They have a stud in center Solomon Alabi, and freshman guard Michael Snaer could very well be a first-team all-ACC freshman performer. Coach Leonard Hamilton has quietly been building a good team in Tallahassee, and they could take the next step this year.

9. Virginia. This team looked good at times last year, but it wasn't enough to save coach Dave Leitao's job. New head man Tony Bennett comes in and has already made an impact in Charlottesville, and he has a great player on the roster already in guard Sylven Landesberg. The Cavs might take a year two adjust under Bennett, but don't be surprised if they make a splash this year.

10. Virginia Tech. This is without a doubt junior guard Malcolm Delaney's team. Gone are scorer A.D. Vassallo and tough guy Cheick Diakite, and Delaney has to be the guy for this team if they want to stay competitive in the ACC. Forward Jeff Allen also has to continue his development if the Hokies will be a factor this year.

11. Miami. Flip a coin here between Miami and NC State for last in the ACC. I came up with Miami at 11th, and it really makes sense. Guard James Dews, along with forwards Dwayne Collins and Cyrus McGowan have big game experience and can lead this team to a few surprise wins. Coach Frank Haith will definitely have his work cut out for him this season.

12. NC State. It is quite conceivable that NC State's best player is forward Dennis Horner. If you are coach Sidney Lowe, that has to keep you awake at night. There is definitely some young talent on this roster - and some intriguing players like 7'1 Australian freshman center Jordan Vandenberg - but it could be a long year in Raleigh unless those young players step up.

College Basketball Preview: ACC

All right, everyone, it's that time of year again. The hardwood has been polished (yeah, I really did just type that...you guys are dirty), the balls inflated (all right, this is getting a little out of control)...whatever. It's college basketball season, and that means that everyone will once again be touting the ACC as the best college basketball conference in America.

They are right. This is not an opinion. This is a fact. The ACC is the best college basketball conference in America.

Consider this: of the last 10 national champions, four of them have been from the ACC (Dook in 2001, Maryland in 2002, UNC in 2005 and 2009). Between UNC and Dook, those two teams have appeared in the Final Four 32 times (the next closest conference combination is Ohio State and Indiana with 18). The ACC will be home to the college basketball program with the most wins in history once UNC passes Kentucky this season (the Tar Heels are currently four games behind the Wildcats in the win column), and has boasted great players like Michael Jordan, David Thompson, Len Bias, Ralph Sampson, Tim Duncan, and Bobby Hurley.

This year promises to be a great year for the ACC in college basketball. North Carolina is the defending regular-season champion and the defending national champion, while Dook is the defending ACC tournament champion. While both those teams will be expected to maintain their high level of play, there are high expectations for nearly every school in the league.

Wake Forest came on strong last year with a group of talented freshmen including PF Al-Farouq Aminu, and figure to be in the mix again this year with a tall and dominant frontcourt.

Georgia Tech adds arguably the #1 recruit in the country in PF Derrick Favors to the fold as they look to stir the pot.

Maryland has a sleeper for the ACC POY in PG Greivis Vasquez and looks to be a factor in the title race.

Clemson returns PF Trevor Booker and adds a talented recruiting class to a team poised to take the next step into that elite basketball stratosphere. And the list goes on...and on...and on.

Over the past few years, there have been some great stories in college basketball. Coaches like Billy Donovan, Mark Few, and Jay Wright have solidified their places in the pantheon of great college coaches. Players like Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, and Blake Griffin have wowed the crowds with their skill and ability. Programs like Indiana, Memphis, and Louisville have been rocked by scandal. But one story has remained the same:

The ACC is the best conference for college basketball in the country. And this season promises to be one of the best in recent memory.