What Would a UConn vs UNC Championship Game Look Like?

The 2011-12 college basketball season is going to be a great one!

There's going to be a huge amount of NBA lottery-level talent on display starting in less than two months.

I'm already thinking of some dream matchups that I'd like to see.

Since the regular season schedules are already set, these head-to-head battles would have to happen late during March Madness.

One—that would be an instant collegiate classic—would pit defending national champs UConn against Sporting News' preseason No. 1 team, North Carolina.

As various predictions start popping up, these two teams will most likely start the season ranked as the country's two best.

Let's look at what would be the most-likely matchups if/when these two super-teams face each other in the upcoming season.  

Shabazz Napier vs. Kendall Marshall

Would this be an awesome duel or what? Two sophomore floor leaders battling it out!

Shabazz Napier (6'0", 170 pounds) emerged last season as a terrific running mate for Kemba Walker. 

Even though Napier didn't come to Storrs with an elite-level recruiting ranking, he demonstrated that he is a high-quality scoring point who can run the team and/or put the ball in the hole.

Napier is constantly in assault-mode, while Kendall Marshall (6'4", 190 pounds) came to Chapel Hill as ESPNU's No. 7 rated PG (No. 22 player overall) in the class of 2010. However, it wasn't until mid-season when Roy Williams flipped him the keys to the team, and said, "Run this thing!," that he began his rise.

And the Tar Heels' season changed drastically with him at the point. From the time that Marshall became the starting PG, UNC went 17-3.

Napier would be able to counter the size difference between these two with his quick feet and hands.

Marshall, however, is as steady as any PG in the country.

In spite of the pressure that Napier would apply, Marshall would still be able to effectively lead the Tar Heels on both ends of the court.

Jeremy Lamb vs. Dexter Strickland

Jeremy Lamb was not just the Huskies No. 2 scorer (10.3 ppg) last year, he was a main reason, along with Kemba Walker, that UConn went on their outrageous, end-of-the-year run that led to a National Championship.

Lamb (6'5" 185 lbs) is a pure shooter with a complete arsenal of ways that he can hurt you on the court. His length make him a match-up problem at the SG.

On the other end, Dexter Strickland (6'3" 180 lbs) is a very solid part of the UNC attack. He shoots a good percentage (45.6) from the floor, defends his position well, and rebounds better than most SG's.

Some might suggest that Strickland, by late in the season, might not hold onto the starting off-guard position. Roy Williams may has a number of different options, including going with Reggie Bullock or even incoming freshman, P.J. Hairston.

Lamb's superior offensive skills would give him the clear advantage in this matchup  

Roscoe Smith vs. Harrison Barnes

Roscoe Smith (6'8", 205 pounds) had a solid freshman year (6.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 1.2 bpg).

Because of the Huskies roster, Smith, at times last year, was forced into playing the power forward position. While he definitely gave up some size in those matchups, Smith's energy and athleticism made up for any size difference. 

Nevertheless, moving over to the SF this year will help Smith demonstrate more consistently his quick first-step from the perimeter and his ability to get to the rim.

Harrison Barnes (6'8", 210 pounds) is one of the premier SFs in all of college basketball. His scoring ability (15.7 ppg) was realized more in the second half of the 2010-11 season when he found his rhythm and began to shoot the eyes out of the basket.

Barnes hit numerous clutch shots for the Tar Heels at the end of the regular season, as well as the ACC and NCAA tournaments.

He is particularly skilled at pulling up and hitting shots off the dribble.

While Smith's physical tools would make for an interesting contest here, Barnes' savvy would help him to have the upper hand here. 

Alex Oriakhi vs John Henson

Alex Oriakhi is a beast (6'9", 240 pounds) who gave UConn their intimidating interior presence last season.

While Oriakhi may never be a significant scoring threat (9.6 ppg), he more than makes up for that by crashing the glass (8.7 rpg), as well as challenging and changing opponents' shots (1.6 bpg).

It will be interesting to see how his move to the PF will change the offensive opportunities that Oriakhi has this coming season.

John Henson (6'10", 210 pounds) may lack the ideal bulk, but he more than makes up for that in length and reach (7'6" wingspan).

Averaging a double-double last year (11.7 ppg and 10.1 rpg), Henson showed how complete his game is becoming.

Henson is a shot-blocker extraordinaire (3.2 bpg) and has a great sense of where the ball will come off the glass, getting there routinely to pull in both offensive and defensive boards.

This matchup would be the classic force vs. finesse. In this case, Henson's skills might beat out Oriakhi's strength.

Andre Drummond vs. Tyler Zeller

The late-signing of Andre Drummond (6'10", 275 pounds) changed the entire outlook of the Huskies' 2011-12 season.

UConn went from being a very good team to one that might be better than last year's squad that won it all (Sorry, Kemba).

Drummond is a rare mixture of size, strength and skill. While his game still has room for development, he very well could be one of the first players taken in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Tyler Zeller is a very solid center with a surprising number of high-level post skills.

Zeller is incredibly mobile for a player of his size (7'0", 250 pounds). He runs the floor well, but also has a wide array of post skills and moves that helped him tie Harrison Barnes as the Tar Heels leading scorer (15.7 ppg) last year.

While Zeller's hoops IQ would help him here, Drummond's athleticism would give him a definite advantage in this matchup.  

Bench

Both of these two teams benches could form the nucleus of a Top 25 team.

UConn has a very nice group of reinforcements that Jim Calhoun can insert into the Huskies' line-up. 

Incoming SF DeAndre Daniels is an exceptional scorer and could challenge for serious minutes right away. There won't be much drop off from Napier when freshman PG Ryan Boatright enters the game.  

Roy Williams has as much or more talent coming in off the bench in 2011-12 than any other team in the country.

Down low, the Tar Heels have super-freshman James McAdoo (McDonald's All-American; No. 2 PF in the Class of 2011), who might be another NBA lottery pick in the UNC frontcourt. On the perimeter, North Carolina has two outstanding wings, Reggie Bullock (a McDonald's All-American, No. 3 SG in ESPNU's Class of 2010)  and P.J. Hairston ( a McDonald's All-American, No. 3 SG in ESPNU's Class of 2011).

The Heels would also have junior guard Leslie McDonald to bring in, but he blew out his knee this summer and will be out the entire season.   

Results

If this game happens, and I'm hoping it does, it very well could be considered the college basketball game of the year.

This would be one heckuva NCAA Championship Game in New Orleans.

My prediction would be: Tar Heels by 2.