North Carolina, Kentucky Basketball: Comparing the Nation's Top Two Teams

The North Carolina Tar Heels and Kentucky Wildcats are the top two college basketball teams in the nation. In order to see who is the true No. 1, we are going compare each team position-by-position.

These two teams have been aided by excellent recruiting classes over the last two years, and they are on a different level than the rest of the NCAA.

Roy Williams and John Calipari have landed some of the best recruits in the nation in the last few years, and these recruits have developed into the NBA-ready talent both of their teams have.

These teams are each good enough to have future NBA players riding the bench, including either John Henson or James McAdoo of the Tar Heels, and Doron Lamb of the Wildcats.

To determine which is better than the other, however, we must analyze the teams side-by-side, position-by-position.

Point Guard

North Carolina Tar Heels point guard: Kendall Marshall, So.

Kentucky Wildcats point guard: Marquis Teague, Fr.

The point guard position is one of the most important. A team needs a leader, and most teams love to have their point guard be a floor-general. Both of these players are just that.

These are two very unselfish point guards whose main jobs will be to create for others. Marshall has already proven that he can do so, recording 136 assists in the last 16 games (8.5 assists per game), when he emerged to gain the starting role. Teague is one of the top point guards in the 2011 recruiting class, armed with great knowledge of the game and excellent court-vision.

Both players have great playmakers around them, and they know how and when to get the ball to them. Both of these players can also score, if necessary,by driving to the basket, and both like to lead the team in transition. They love to run the floor and dish to teammates or finish themselves.

These two are incredibly similar, and it is hard to decide which is better than the other.

Advantage: Tie.

Shooting Guard

North Carolina Tar Heels shooting guard: Dexter Strickland, Jr.

Kentucky Wildcats shooting guard: Darius Miller, Sr. 

Shooting guards need to be threats from outside, and should be dangerous three-point shooters. Sometimes there will be shooting guards who are much better at driving, but no matter how they play, they need to be a serious scoring threat.

Miller has steadily improved his production since his freshman year. He is scoring more, and continues to rebound well. He has been very streaky in his career, however, and he needs to become more consistent.

Strickland, on the other hand, has been consistent but is not scoring as much as Miller—scoring only 7.2 points per game compared to Miller's 11.3.

Miller continues to work, and he should have a great season. It appears that he will be more consistent than last season, but the bar wasn't set too high. Either way, it appears that Miller is at the level he should be, and Strickland is behind him.

Advantage: Miller.

Small Forward

North Carolina Tar Heels small forward: Harrison Barnes, So.

Kentucky Wildcats small forward: Michael Gilchrist, Fr.

Small forward is the most versatile position on the floor. It can be occupied by a tall player who could have been a shooting guard and likes to shoot from deep or slash through the lane. It can also be occupied by a big man down-low. These two small forwards are very different, and that makes them harder to compare.

Barnes is a combo-forward who could have potentially played power forward in college. He can beat you inside with his back to the basket, or he can drive through the lane. He has a great jump shot and an even better work ethic. He never gives up on a play and he is a great defender because of it. Barnes should have been a lottery pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, but decided to come back to school. That just means that he is poised to dominate the NCAA.

Gilchrist is going to be transitioning from high school to college, and that's a big jump. He is a great player who scores a lot by driving and shooting, essentially making him the type of small forward who could have played shooting guard. He has a great work ethic and he plays hard on every possession.

Barnes has already been successful in the league and has fine-tuned his game, while Gilchrist is still new. While Barnes is the right choice, these two are very close.

Advantage: Barnes.

Power Forward

North Carolina Tar Heels power forward: John Henson, Jr.

Kentucky Wildcats power forward: Terrence Jones, So.

A power forward is supposed to be a dominant big man inside, and should be a good source of points and rebounds. If the team plays a high-energy style of basketball, then they also need to be mobile.

These two are some of the best power forwards in the NCAA this season. Both should be entering the NBA Draft after the season, and it's hard to see them falling out of the lottery.

Henson is a true big man at 6'10" and 210 pounds. He likes playing down-low, and he averages 11.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. A long, dominant player inside, Henson puts up some great numbers, and is one of North Carolina's most important players.

Jones, on the other hand, is only 6'8" but he is much more athletic and much quicker than Henson. He follows teammates on the fast-break and supplies us with highlight-reel dunks. Jones averaged 16.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game as a freshman last season, and he has improved a lot over the offseason.

While I think Jones will be the better NBA player because he can convert to a small forward, I have to say that these two are pretty much even at the college level.

Advantage: Tie.

Center

North Carolina Center: Tyler Zeller, Sr.

Kentucky Center: Anthony Davis, Fr.

A center is supposed to be the main source of rebounding for a team. While you would like them to score points for you as well, not all great teams like these rely upon their centers to put up big numbers. Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas of the 2010 Duke Blue Devils did not score much, but the team still won the NCAA tournament.

Zeller has proven himself to be a great center in his three years in college basketball, and he too will be a lottery pick when he declares for the NBA Draft after this season. He has made huge improvements during every offseason, and it would not be unfair to expect another one. His averages from last season included 14.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and he has been incredible down-low.

Davis is one of the most uncertain freshman in the class. Despite being ranked No. 1 overall, he may not pan out. Davis grew seven inches last year, and he still needs to add on weight and learn how to play the game with such size. He is a great shot-blocker and a good rebounder, but he may not have the killer instincts to dominate in the paint like Kentucky wants.

This is a very tough choice, but I am going to take the proven center over the inexperienced one.

Advantage: Zeller.

Josh Schoch is an aspiring sportswriter dedicated to bringing you everything related to college basketball, the NBA, MLB, NFL and more. Follow him on Twitter.