UNC's Strong Finish Shows the Sky's the Limit for Loaded Tar Heels Next Year

LOS ANGELES — Thirty minutes after Thursday’s 79-72 loss to Wisconsin in the Sweet 16, the North Carolina Tar Heels weren’t sure how to act.

While some players bemoaned the second-half mistakes that led to their demise against the Badgers at the Staples Center, others were already looking ahead to next season.

And for good reason.

North Carolina is slated to return every key member of its roster in 2015-16. That means the team that led No. 1 seed Wisconsin for more than half of the West Region semifinal should be significantly better a year from now.

Barring any unforeseen transfers or early NBA draft defections, the Tar Heels should be ranked among the top five teams in the country—if not higher—entering next season.

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“We can be the team next year that only loses one or two games in the regular season, if we make the changes that we need to,” junior guard Marcus Paige said. “The level that we competed at the last couple of weeks was at such a different level, and a more committed level, than [we displayed] throughout the season.”

Indeed, North Carolina’s recent play should give the Tar Heels plenty of reasons to be encouraged.

They beat Louisville and ACC regular-season champion Virginia to advance to the title game of the conference tournament, where they lost to Notre Dame. And after squeaking by upset-minded Harvard in its NCAA tournament opener, North Carolina had an easy time with Arkansas in the round of 32, cruising to an 87-78 victory.

On Thursday, Roy Williams’ squad led by seven points midway through second half, 53-46, before Wisconsin rallied down the stretch. Playing that well against the Badgers is no small feat, as many pundits have pegged Wisconsin as the main threat to No. 1 overall seed and undefeated Kentucky.

“If we take care of (some) little lapses,” Williams said, “we’ve got a chance to be one of those teams that has a chance to talk about winning the whole thing.

“And man, oh, man, are they the kind of kids I like to be around. There’s been a lot of stuff going on this year, but they helped me. I wished I’d have helped them more.”

Williams became emotional when talking about his squad during his postgame press conference, mainly because it’s been a difficult year for North Carolina.

Allegations of academic fraud have hovered over the program all season, and legendary former coach Dean Smith passed away in February. Smith was a mentor for Williams, who also lost one of his closest friends to cancer.

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“The bond that you have with your players is stronger than anything there is,” Williams said. “Even when they’re knuckleheads, you still have that bond. The things that went on...those kids, they cared about me. And when you coach kids, you give them everything you can give them.

“Today, it wasn’t enough. But I wouldn’t trade my kids for anybody.”

Wise decision.

While the off-court relationship Williams shares with his players is obviously strong, he has to be pleased with his team’s potential on the court, too.

The frontcourt rotation of Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, Joel James and Isaiah Hicks was considered one of the nation’s best this season. The foursome should be much improved a year from now.

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So, too, should be small forward Justin Jackson, who averaged 10.7 points as a freshman this season. A McDonald’s All-American, Jackson had a lackluster start to his college career before finishing his inaugural campaign on a high note by scoring in double figures in 11 of his final 12 games.

Jackson, who had 15 points against Wisconsin, is regarded as the top NBA prospect on the roster.

Also back will be combo guards J.P. Tokoto—one of the top stat-sheet-fillers in college basketball—and highly recruited freshman Theo Pinson, who never got on track this season because of a foot injury.

“We know what we’re capable of,” Tokoto said. “We’re going to have all the pieces in place to do something special.”

Perhaps no piece is as important as Paige, who didn’t quite live up to the preseason All-American tag placed on him in the fall. Paige’s scoring average fell from 17.5 points as a sophomore to 14.1 points as a junior. And his field-goal percentage dropped from 44.0 percent to 41.3 percent.

Still, anyone who has followed college basketball the past few seasons knows Paige has it in him to be one of game’s top guards.

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“I have every reason to have a spring in my step [in the offseason],” said Paige, a rising senior. “I only get one more crack at this. I only get to go through the carousel one more time with this jersey on.

“They say college is the best four years of your life. I’ve already used three of them. That’s a harsh reality for me. I’ve really enjoyed being here and being a part of this program. Now I only have one more chance. I’m going to try to use that as fuel. I’m going to give everything I have every single day this offseason to be the best player I can be.

“And I hope that’s infectious and contagious in the locker room.”

Excited as they are about their future, there are still some causes for concern for the Tar Heels. North Carolina isn’t a very good three-point-shooting team, having connected on just 35.8 percent of its shots from beyond the arc. It doesn’t boast an elite-level point guard (Paige is more of a shooting guard), and Williams’ squad can be turnover-prone.

“At the end of day, great teams don’t make those mistakes,” Paige said. “That’s why Wisconsin has won 34 games and is moving on and we’re not.”

North Carolina hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2009, the year it last won the NCAA title, and hasn’t advanced to the Elite Eight since 2012.

“We can sit here and talk about making changes. But it comes down to each guy on this team making a commitment to do what it takes to get to this [Sweet 16] level again.

“And then get past it.”

Jason King covers college sports for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JasonKingBR