UNC Basketball: Biggest Storylines to Watch for Tar Heels in 2014-15

North Carolina tips off the 2014-15 season this Friday against North Carolina Central. With a new season, there are always a number of pressing matters and storylines that develop. Even a team bringing back several starters has questions that must be answered. For UNC, a lot of contributors return, but roles are not even close to being set in stone.

With that said, most rotations and substitutions will be fluid for a while since coach Roy Williams has so many options at his disposal this year. There is really only one roster spot that has a drastic effect on the entire rest of the team because it will dictate how Williams wants to play.

Not all Carolina news is on the court, though. An ongoing investigation into academic fraud is also hanging over the team and the university at this very moment. It is hard to ignore such possible peril. And that's why there are just two main storylines to watch with this team. Everything else hinges on them, one about basketball and the other about everything but.

Point Guard

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Let's start with the on-court story that has the most influence over this roster. It is the point guard position. The options are numerous, which adds to the intrigue. The eventual decision will also shape how this team plays.

• Marcus Paige could play everyday point guard for the Tar Heels.

This possibility is likely in that Paige is the team's best player and is highly useful with the ball in his hands. It would allow Williams to play a big lineup with J.P. Tokoto or Theo Pinson at the shooting guard spot. Both are more small forward than 2-guard, but the slide would give UNC added length and defense, as well as more athleticism on the floor.

It could also harm performance, though. It is too soon to know how Pinson will perform, but Tokoto is surely not capable of spreading the floor and hitting shots expected of a 2-guard. He is also not capable of being the main ball-handler if the Heels wanted to run Paige off screens or through set plays.

Having Paige play point would hamper his usefulness, which is why Williams attempted to avoid such a situation last year. Paige is a superb shooter, especially behind the arc, and it would be a shame to remove opportunities for him to get cleaner looks from distance.

• Nate Britt could play everyday point guard for the Tar Heels.

This was attempted often last year without much fanfare. Britt didn't develop into anything offensively other than an occasional distributor. He was a zero (technically worse: -0.1, according to Sports Reference's offensive win shares statistic) as far as scoring was concerned, and there is little to imply that would be different this season.

Britt at the point slots the rest of the lineup into more logical spots, however. The wings would not be forced to handle the ball, and Paige could be the main offensive option running defenses wild. This is really what Paige seems better suited for.

Paige is not a dribble-driver like some other, bigger guards. He didn't get to the line that often last year, even though he should have been attempting to draw more fouls because of his proclivity for hitting the free throw.

Britt playing full time is really the best option stylistically, but it has the added downside of forcing Britt to be on the floor. Which brings us to the last possibility.

• Joel Berry could play everyday point guard for the Tar Heels.

This would create the lineup with the highest upside. Paige gets the added benefit of playing off the ball on many possessions. Berry though comes in with a better game and higher expectations than Britt. In scouting reports, he is described as "a strong point guard with an advanced game for his age." That is exactly what Britt was not.

Maturity from the position would be a welcome relief, especially if Berry isn't afraid to take control sometimes and grab shots when they are there for him.

The downside here—because, of course, all options have a downside or else this decision would already be made—is that Berry matched with Paige would give Carolina a small backcourt. Berry is 6'0", and Paige is 6'1" but thinner. Neither would necessarily be adept at guarding opposing shooting guards.

Also, more alarmingly, Berry is still a complete unknown at the collegiate level. Scouting reports and high school game film are only so valuable. We simply don't yet know how he will adapt to this level of competition.

Roy Williams will have his hands full attempting to figure out which point guard, and therefore which lineup, is best for his team.

Academic Fraud

According to CNN, investigations into an academic scandal at the University of North Carolina found 18 years of fraud through the use of paper classes. This has already been covered at Bleacher Report, so there is no reason to harp on old details.

The school's men's basketball team is certainly not the only target here, but it is perhaps the biggest.

A snippet from the CNN article states:

"

Gerald Gurney, president of the Drake Group, whose mission is 'to defend academic integrity in higher education from the corrosive aspects of commercialized college sports,' said the findings should provide fodder for the NCAA to levy one of its most severe charges against UNC: lack of institutional control.

"

Past wins, even national championships could be vacated if such a punishment is levied. The team could lose scholarships or even see suspensions put in place for staff members like Williams according to Chip Patterson of CBS Sports.

No punishments will be handed down by the NCAA until it completes its own full investigation. Through that entire process, this will be hanging over the heads of the university and its athletes. Even if no current men's basketball player was involved in any wrongdoing, penalties against a school do not distinguish. Everyone suffers.