Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: What to watch for in Friday’s exhibition game

By Alec Lasley

Apr 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams speaks to his team during a timeout in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats in the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Men
Apr 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams speaks to his team during a timeout in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats in the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Men /
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UNC will play an exhibition game against UNC Pembrooke tonight, giving us our first look at the Tar Heels. But what should we expect?

Just over a week away from regular season play, the Tar Heels get things started against UNC Pembroke, Friday Nov. 7, in their lone exhibition game.

This will be the first time most everyone will get to see Carolina play after the heartbreaking loss in the National Championship last year to Villanova. Though most of the team looks the same as last year, UNC basketball will flip the page on a chapter that gave the Tar Heels two of it’s most loved players in Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson.

Losing 37% of its scoring from last year, Carolina will look for Joel Berry II and Isaiah Hicks to try to replace the production lost from Paige and Johnson.

Hicks, ACC 6th Man of the Year in ’16, will be one of the most important players for the Tar Heels all season long. In order to be that, he will need to stay out of foul trouble.

Last year, held to only 18 min/game, he averaged  6.6 fouls per 40 minutes. Hicks has the ability to be an ACC Player of the Year type player, but in order to do that, he needs to stay on the floor and out of foul trouble.

Nov 18, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) and forward Isaiah Hicks (4) converse during the second half against the Wofford Terriers at Dean E. Smith Center. North Carolina won 78-58. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) and forward Isaiah Hicks (4) converse during the second half against the Wofford Terriers at Dean E. Smith Center. North Carolina won 78-58. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Because of the lack of experience in the front court, this puts even more importance on Isaiah Hicks to stay on the floor as Luke Maye and Tony Bradley are both unproven and inexperienced on the college level.

If Carolina wants to get back to the Final Four, they will need Isaiah Hicks to play a major role.

Leading the Tar Heels all the way to the National Championship game, Joel Berry averaged 14.3 ppg 3.9 rpg and 3.3 apg while shooting 44.3% from three in the last 14 games of the year.

Not only did he show his leadership abilities but also his ability to be a go-to scorer.

This year’s team will not have Marcus Paige or Brice Johnson so Berry needs to step up as that go-to offensive option.

That is the one question mark I have for this year’s Carolina team; who will be the guy at the end of the shot or game clock to take that shot?

Berry sure seemed to show it last year, being named ACC Tournament MVP and named to the All -Final Four team, something no Tar Heel as ever done in the same season without being named to an All-American Team.

But will he be able to do it when he is the top name on the opposing team’s scouting report? Only time will tell.

Shooting 31.4% from three last year, lowest in school history, the Tar Heels will have to improve on that this year. With many unproven and inconsistent shooters on the roster, teams will pack the paint early on forcing the Heels to make shots.

If they are able to consistently knock down the outside shot, not only will this provide Carolina with another dimension to their already super talented offensive team but it may be the one missing piece for a National Championship team.

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