North Carolina Tarheels: My Predictions for Next Year

This year's loss to Kansas in the Final Four probably left a bad taste in Tyler Hansbrough's mouth. I don't blame him for feeling that way. Not only did they get blown out, but they have lost in bad ways the previous two years as well. If you recall, last year they blew a 12-point lead to Georgetown, and the year before that, they lost to the cinderella team, George Mason. 

Notice Carolina's progression though, as the years have passed. After they won it all in '05 and lost all their starters and their top bench performer, they were left with pretty much nothing. The result was a somewhat disappointing '06 season, with the only bright spot being Tyler Hansbrough's terrific freshman campaign. '07 was a giant leap for the Heels, as Hansbrough gained help from freshman Ty Lawson (point guard), Brandon Wright (power forward), and Wayne Ellington (shooting guard).

Hansbrough improved greatly, but his inexperience of leading a team to victory showed in the loss to Georgetown, as he attempted a multitude of bad shots against the 7' 2" Roy Hibbert.

This '08 season was a huge disappointment. It seemed like they had all the right tools: a fast and efficient point guard, a sharp-shooting wing man, an incredible post dominance, and a terrific bench. They still, however were dominated by Kansas.

You think Hansbrough had a good season this year? Watch out for next year. Not only will he be experienced, physically and mentally, but he'll have plenty of help with the new recruiting class coming in.

Larry Drew out of Taft will probably be a good backup behind Bobby Frasor, who missed all of this season because of a leg injury, and could possibly gain a starting spot if he proves to be a slower, but better shooting Lawson. Davis could also be a top bench-option behind Deon Thompson, who I thought wasn't really that good.  Ed Davis could possibly end up being another Brandon Wright, just by looking at his 6' 9" lanky build.

Admittedly, I don't know much about Travis Zeller's game. All I know is that he's tall and white. He'll most likely be behind Hanbrough (imagine that), that is if Copeland or Stephenson don't step up.

The loss of Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington will hurt them greatly. The third and second leading scorers on the team respectively, I think, made a big mistake by leaving early. Not only are they unprepared for the NBA, but they had a huge chance of winning it all next year, with Hansbrough and the beastly recruiting class. 

The starting line up will look somethin like this:

Bobby Frasor—PG, Danny Green—SG, Marcus Ginyard—SF, Deon Thompson—PF, Psycho T—PF

Look for breakout seasons from Alex Stephenson and William Graves.  Although they might not have made a big of an impact last year, I believe that they will this year. They both have lots of potential.

Danny Green will most likely emerge as Carolina's second scoring-option. I believe he will be a first-team All-ACC pick for sure. 

I project Carolina to start as #4, and then slide slowly rise to #1, but stumble a couple times and fall down one or two spots (or if they're lucky, remain as #1). The chances of them winning it all, I believe, are worse than before. The chances of Hansbrough winning player of the year again, however, will be even higher.

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