UNC Basketball’s Huge Expectations Nothing New

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Roy Williams’ job this season with the Tar Heels is the most difficult coaching job of any in college basketball this season. The reason is simple, the expectation of UNC is to simply win it all, anything less would be considered a “failure”, and in many ways this team reminds me of the 2008 squad. That team was loaded with stars and one mega star in Tyler Hansbrough, just like this year with Harrison Barnes as the superstar.

Most places would be thrilled with a conference regular season title, tournament championship and a competitive showing in the NCAA tournament. Not this team, the unanimous preseason #1 and favorite to win the national championship with all 5 returning starters and one of the best recruiting classes in the country it’s all or nothing for Carolina, no pressure Roy.

Page 2: Why this team is more like the 2009 national champions than the 2008 team that didn’t

While there are similarities to the 2008 team, comparisons to the 2009 team are more appropriate for Roy’s bunch this season. This team has already experienced a crushing NCAA defeat leaving them 1 game short of the Final 4 which has to be huge in terms of managing expectations and keeping the team hungry. And that one aspect of this team is what could give them an edge in March. These aren’t men making millions of dollars we’re talking about here; these are young kids living in a dorm room trying to become men that make millions of dollars. So don’t underestimate the value of a very hard loss and the lesson it can teach. It was enough of a motivator to bring back Harrison Barnes, Jon Henson and Tyler Zeller from entering the NBA draft, just like the 2008 team came back after a bitter Final 4 loss.

Now onto the similarities in personnel between the 09 bunch and this year’s gang. We’ll start with Tyler Zeller a freshman when the team took home the 2009 title is now a senior and leader on the team. Zeller knows how to win, how to lead and while he won’t be Hansbrough he gives the Heels an experienced star in the post. Hansbrough isn’t who we’re comparing Zeller here though, actually Zeller compares to incoming freshman James McAdoo. Both were 5 star highly recruited stars out of high school that could have gone on and started for mostly any other university in the nation but instead chose UNC knowing their freshman roles would be as role players, not stars. Both giving the team a player they can plug in if any injuries occur and a potent weapon off the bench giving the team unmatched depth.

Then there’s Harrison Barnes, he’s the Tyler Hansbrough of this team. Pay no attention to the fact that he’s a wing and TH was a big, they were and are nation player of the year candidates and when you have that type of player on your roster your never out of it. Barnes has already proved this in his freshman season carrying the team on his back many times hitting clutch shot after clutch shot late in the season as the Tar Heels made their run.

Kendall Marshall and Ty Lawson aren’t very similar in their styles of play, Lawson more a burner and finisher, Marshall a quarterback on the court with his passing talents. Still they are similar in that they are the engines that run the team, early in the season when Larry Drew III was starting at the point the Heels offense looked sluggish and out of synch. Compare that to when Lawson went down with a late season injury in 09 and missed a couple games, Carolina pulled together and won those games but was an entirely different team without its general on the floor.

While it remains to be seen if Reggie Bullock and PJ Hairston can provide the shooting and spark off the bench that Wayne Ellington and Danny Green gave to the 09 team I get the feeling they will. When I watched this team blossom last season with Barnes coming into his own, Henson becoming a defensive force and Roy Williams’ message finally sinking into the minds of this young team, knowing a great group of young freshman was coming in I just kept thinking to myself next year feels like 2009. When Barnes, Zeller and Henson all announced their intentions to stay at UNC and the team rounded out its roster with some quality late additions making them the deepest team in the country it only affirmed that feeling I have in my gut.

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