UNC Basketball: Tar Heels Most Likely to Make All-ACC Team

The ACC is going to look a lot different next basketball season with a heavy amount of turnover from the majority of its teams. This could give North Carolina's best players a chance to really shine.

Last year's All-ACC teams had an experienced feel to them with nine of the 15 players being seniors. These men are now gone, as well as top underclassmen like Brandon Ingram, Demetrius Jackson and Cat Barber. As a result, there is an opportunity for a new generation of talent to show what it can do on the big stage.

The Tar Heels roster has quite a few options who could step up and post impressive stats in 2016-17. With high enough numbers, they will be rewarded with all-conference selections.

Although players can always surprise you—Marcus Paige definitely would have been higher than Brice Johnson on this list a year ago at this point—here is a prediction for UNC players most likely to be named All-ACC.

5. Theo Pinson

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Nate Britt could replace Paige in the starting lineup, once again giving North Carolina a two-point guard look on offense. However, the best scenario would be for Theo Pinson to slide in at the 2, creating a major upgrade on the defensive end.

Pinson has struggled to reach his potential since coming to Chapel Hill, only averaging 3.9 points per game in two seasons. He has shown flashes as an athletic slasher when given a chance, but he has lacked consistency as a scorer.

What he can do, however, is fill up the box score in a lot of ways. He averaged 2.9 assists per game despite limited playing time, actually leading the Tar Heels with a 22.2 percent assist rate, per KenPom.com. He also rebounds well and has the quickness and length to add in some steals.

It's hard to project Pinson to all of a sudden become an elite scorer, but as a starter he could fill the versatile "Draymond Green role" with good enough complete numbers to earn a spot on an all-conference team.

4. Isaiah Hicks

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On most other teams around the country, Isaiah Hicks likely would have been a starter and an impact player for at least the last couple of years. He has to wait until his senior year now to get that full chance at UNC, but he could really make it count.

Hicks has been a major contributor off the bench the last two seasons, taking advantage of every minute he is on the court. He averaged 17.9 points and eight rebounds per 40 minutes as a sophomore, which improved to 19.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per 40 minutes as a junior.

There is no guarantee he will extrapolate those types of numbers as a starter, but getting 25 to 30 minutes per game could make him a major factor next season.

The big issues for Hicks will be conditioning and defense—two things that will dictate how much playing time he will actually see. If he does get the minutes he deserves, chances of a big year will be high.

3. Kennedy Meeks

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Last year was a bit of a disappointment for Kennedy Meeks, whose numbers dropped almost across the board from his sophomore season. He averaged fewer points (9.2 from 11.4), rebounds (5.9 from 7.3) and blocks (1.0 from 1.2) per game.

However, a lot of this wasn't necessarily a negative for Meeks but instead positives for his teammates.

The big man saw fewer minutes, while Johnson and Hicks took on bigger roles from the previous season. These players also took away some rebounds each game—especially Johnson with his double-double average. Offensively, Meeks also became at best the fifth option on the floor, which led to limited shot attempts during the year.

Add this to his injury problems, and there really isn't reason to be concerned about Meeks going forward.

North Carolina will need the senior at his best next season with the team lacking experience in the frontcourt. He will have to be a star on both ends of the court, which is a role he is more than capable of handling for the Tar Heels.

2. Justin Jackson

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Justin Jackson has the potential to be one of the top players in college basketball next season. At 6'8" with good handle and athleticism, he is a mismatch for just about anyone who tries to defend him.

This is a major reason he is the top NBA draft prospect on the roster, with DraftExpress currently projecting him at No. 33 overall in the 2017 class. 

While his shooting hasn't been consistent—just 29.7 percent from three-point range in two years—his 212 attempts from deep in this span show he has confidence in his stroke. If he can work on his game and find a way to improve from beyond the arc, Jackson would be even more dangerous.

The wing has been passive throughout his career behind more experienced players, but this is his chance to shine as a go-to option offensively. After averaging 12.2 points per game as a sophomore, he has the potential to make a jump up to 18-20 points per game as a junior. An added aggressiveness and better shooting could simply make him too tough to guard.

If everything goes right, Jackson could possibly end the year as the ACC Player of the Year and certainly All-ACC.

1. Joel Berry

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Jackson might have more upside, but Joel Berry is the safer bet to make an all-conference team.

Paige overshadowed Berry for most of the 2015-16 season, but Berry ended up with more assists and steals per game than anyone else on the team while ranking second in points behind only Johnson. He clearly wasn't afraid to take control despite more experienced players on the roster.

The point guard was especially impressive in the postseason, averaging 13.7 points and five assists per game in the NCAA tournament run to the championship game. This included a 10-assist game in the Final Four against Syracuse and a 20-point showing against Villanova in the title game.

Now that Paige is gone, Berry will have the ball in his hands the majority of the time, giving him a chance to rack up a high amount of points and assists every game. His aggressiveness makes him more likely to lead the team in scoring than Jackson, while his ability to run the offense ensures his importance over the course of the season.

Adding his overall numbers and impact to the squad will make him a major threat to end the season first-team All-ACC.

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