North Carolina Basketball: Statistical Predictions for Roy Williams' Squad

Roy Williams' North Carolina Tar Heels sit atop the college basketball world, maintaining their No. 1 overall ranking through the first few weeks of the season.

This team returns all five of its starters, each of whom could play in the NBA one day.  They have also added two incredible recruits to join them in James McAdoo and P.J. Hairston.

This is one of the best teams we've seen in decades, and they surely deserve all of the recognition they have received.  Therefore, it's only fair to make predictions about the season for each individual player, right?

Patrick Crouch

Patrick Crouch is one of those players lucky to be on this squad, but he is on it nonetheless.

Crouch is a senior guard who played his first minutes last season and has already played a few this season.  Crouch isn't going to get much playing time soon as the Tar Heels take on more talented teams, and his stats will suffer.

Stats per game: 0.8 minutes, 0.2 points, 0.1 rebounds, 0.3 assists

Stewart Cooper

Stewart Cooper is a senior forward who played for the first time last year but won't get much playing time this season. Cooper doesn't do much when he gets in.

Stats per game: 0.4 minutes, 0.1 points, 0.3 rebounds, 0.1 assists

David Dupont

David Dupont is yet another benchwarmer, but he has made a bit of an impact so far this season, averaging one point per game.

Dupont is a senior forward getting playing time for just the second season, and he is trying to make the most of it.

Stats per game: 1.0 minutes, 0.6 points, 0.4 rebounds

Jackson Simmons

Jackson Simmons is only a freshman, but it must be rough going to a team returning all five starters and adding a few new players ahead of you.

Simmons won't make much of a difference this season, but he will down the road when the big men in the frontcourt move on to the NBA.

Stats per game: 2.0 minutes, 1.1 points, 0.6 rebounds

Stilman White

Freshman guard Stilman White has a lot of competition for playing time, but he should secure a decent amount for himself.

White has so far made the most of his time, averaging 1.0 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game so far.

Stats per game: 2.5 minutes, 1.2 points, 0.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists

Desmond Hubert

Desmond Hubert is a freshman forward who makes his biggest impact on the glass. Averaging almost two rebounds per game, he will be brought in almost exclusively for height.

Unfortunately, the Tar Heels don't lack height, so he may go unused.

Stats per game: 0.9 minutes, 0.2 points, 1.1 rebounds

Justin Watts

Justin Watts is a senior guard, so he will at least play on Senior Night, but those may be all the minutes he is guaranteed.

Watts averaged almost 10 minutes per game last season, but he is going to see a significant dip in playing time this season.

Stats per game: 4.3 minutes, 1.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.2 assists

P.J. Hairston

We've finally reached the impact-players.

P.J. Hairston is one of North Carolina's talented recruits.  He is a guard with one of the smoothest shots in the class, second only to Brad Beal of the Florida Gators.

Hairston will be a balanced player fighting for time at shooting guard, but he will find a niche on this talented roster.

Stats per game: 15.9 minutes, 7.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists

James McAdoo

James McAdoo is the other talented recruit for this squad.  He plays power forward, but he will not start, being the best backup forward in the country.

McAdoo uses his wide frame well to establish himself down low, but that can be said of several players on this team.  He will only get to play 13 to 17 minutes in most games come ACC time, but he will still find a role and be back next season as a star.

Stats per game: 15.5 minutes, 8.3 points, 4.2 rebounds

Reggie Bullock

Reggie Bullock is a sophomore guard who made an impact last season but will find it difficult to get playing time this season.

Bullock needs to compete with Dexter Strickland and P.J. Hairston, both of whom would start for just about any other program, but he will soon find his place among these NBA-ready players.

Bullock is a great scorer, and he will be used for instant offense.

Stats per game: 15.1 minutes, 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds

F Tyler Zeller

Now it's time for the starting five on this team.

Tyler Zeller is a 7-foot big man, and he is a force in the paint.  He is not quite as good a big man as John Henson, but he is definitely talented enough to start for any program in the nation.

Zeller is a great scoring option in the paint, and he will certainly be able to play quite a bit for Roy Williams this season despite having James McAdoo eating at his playing time.

Stats per game: 30.6 minutes, 17.1 points, 7.8 rebounds

G Dexter Strickland

Dexter Strickland is the starting shooting guard for UNC.  While some experts may have a problem with this because he doesn't shoot well from three-point range, he certainly does score well and play tight defense (something that Roy Williams does not undervalue).

Strickland should maintain his considerable amount of playing time with Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston being role players who step in only at strategic times.

Stats per game: 28.5 minutes, 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals

F John Henson

John Henson is the definition of a big man on both sides of the ball.  He plays good defense and racks up quite a few blocks to go along with his ability to score inside and rebound on either end of the floor.

Henson can also pass well from the lane, and he continues to impress everyone who sees him.  Henson is grossly underrated, and he is going to prove that to us this season.

Stats per game: 29.2 minutes, 15.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.5 blocks, 2.1 assists

G Kendall Marshall

A true point guard and an All-American, Kendall Marshall holds this team together.  He is the one bringing the ball up for the best team in the nation, and his ability to pass is unrivaled.

Marshall brings the ability to feed the ball to the best frontcourt in the nation, distributing well and beating defenses in multiple ways.

Marshall can feed all of his teammates, and when the defense forgets his ability to score, he can go on a 6-0 run by himself.

Stats per game: 30.5 minutes, 5.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 11.3 assists

F Harrison Barnes

A National Player of the Year candidate, Harrison Barnes has dazzled us before, and he is back to do it again.

Barnes was only a freshman last season, but he would have been a top-five pick had he entered the NBA Draft over the summer.  Maybe he knew there would be a lockout, however, as he stayed for another year and is set to dominate the college basketball world.

Barnes can do everything a coach can possibly ask of him, and he always finds a way to exceed his high expectations.

Barnes hasn't had to play much so far this season, but he will play more and more as the competition gets better.  Look for Barnes to miss out on Player of the Year to Jared Sullinger of Ohio State, but he will still be arguably the best player in college basketball.

Stats per game: 34.7 minutes, 22.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists

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