North Carolina Basketball: 2008-09 Preview

Roy Williams is notorious for starting his practices with the phrase, "It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood." With "Psycho T" announcing his return to college basketball Friday afternoon, there is no better way to put it.

The Tar Heels return a load of talent from the 2007-2008 season. Leading scorer and Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough (22.6 ppg 10.2 rpg) has decided to finish his college career in Chapel Hill, aiming for a national championship.

Hansbrough will be joined by veteran players Danny Green (11.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Deon Thompson (8.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Marcus Ginyard (6.9 ppg).

If Alex Stephenson dispels rumors of leaving for UCLA to be with his sick father, the depth only gets better.

With star players Wayne Ellington and Tywan Lawson declaring for the draft, the Tar Heels do have some holes to fill. Assuming Ellington and Lawson stay in the draft, the Tar Heels will have a huge void to fill at the point guard position.

Big name recruit Larry Drew will join the Tar Heels next year with no college experience. A point guard that has been deemed careless with the basketball may have a tough time making an impact for the Heels.

All-Americans Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller will also help solidify the North Carolina frontcourt. With the highly anticipated arrival of Davis and Zeller, Williams may face problems finding playing time between the five post players (six, if you include Copeland).

If Ellington and Lawson stick around, college basketball fans will be in for a treat. The Tar Heels will have 95.5 percent of their scoring and 95.6 percent of their rebounding back from last year.

With Kansas, Memphis, and Texas losing a majority of their talent to the draft, it will be hard to find a team that can compete with the Heels in 2008-09!