UNC Basketball: Tar Heels’ 2016-17 lineup options

Tar Heels begin season with high-scoring, lopsided victories

North Carolina is scoring 92 points per game through the season’s first four games and they’ve defeated their opponents by an average of 25 points a contest.

Despite their early success, North Carolina has missed junior wing Theo Pinson a great deal. The guard/forward will reportedly miss eight to 12 weeks with a broken bone in his right foot. Prior to the season, Pinson was the projected starter. In his absence, UNC head coach Roy Williams has started senior guard Nate Britt and sophomore guard Kenny Williams.

Britt has continued his solid play from last season. In three games, he’s averaging six points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game. His versatility allows him to play both guard positions. In addition to that, UNC’s “Agent Zero” serves as one of the team’s best defenders.

Williams has been a pleasant surprise this season. He’s averaging 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, three assists and one steal in 19 minutes per game. His style of play resembles Pinson. He’s versatile and does a lot of things for the team. He has become the Tar Heels’ new “glue guy”.

Finding the new fifth starter represents a daunting task for Roy Williams. Replacing Pinson’s intangibles goes a lot deeper than finding someone to replace his minutes.

In UNC’s game against Tulane, Kenny Williams started at shooting guard. In 21 minutes, he made one of his five field goals and finished the game with two points and five rebounds. Britt missed all of his field goals but made one of two free throws. He finished the game with five assists, one point and one rebound in 18 minutes.

In UNC’s next game, Kenny Williams came off the bench while Britt started at the shooting guard position. Against Chattanooga, Williams scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds and had five assists in 18 minutes. Britt had three points, three assists and one rebound in the same game.

When the Tar Heels played Long Beach State, Williams had five rebounds, four points and one assist. Britt started the game and finished with seven points, two assists and a rebound.

Although Williams may be the better all-around player, he plays better coming off the bench. Likewise, Britt plays better as a starter, particularly at the shooting guard posit

ion. Joel Berry is North Carolina’s best ball handler and play-maker. Britt and Berry’s skill sets complement each other well.

Although North Carolina has a great deal of veteran leadership, one of their best lineups includes a freshman. The starting lineup consists of Berry, Britt, Justin Jackson, Isaiah Hicks and Meeks. When the Tar Heels replace Meeks with freshman Tony Bradley, they have another outstanding group of five. On Friday night, Bradley and Meeks split center duties, playing 20 minutes apiece.

The result?

Meeks finished the game with 13 points, seven rebounds and one steal. He made six of his 12 field goal attempts and 1-of-2 free throws. Bradley scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds along with two assists and a block. He connected on 4-of-8 shot attempts from the floor and two of his four three throws.

[Kenny] Williams had a productive game against Hawai’i, too. In 20 minutes, he scored six points (two three-pointers) to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Williams’ rebounding and defense have been underrated. When he replaces Berry, two other lineups give North Carolina a well-rounded group.

Related Story: Tar Heels stay undefeated with victory over Hawaii

The lineups consisting of Berry, Williams, Jackson, Hicks and Meeks and Berry, Williams, Jackson, Hicks and Bradley can compete with any lineup in college basketball. Both of these lineups have the perfect combination of veteran leadership, individual skill sets, athleticism, perimeter shooting and defense.

Depending on who is available, one of these lineups will close out games. Of course, factors that influence lineups carry weight including injuries, foul trouble and who the ‘hot’ shooter is during the game.

Do not underestimate North Carolina’s bench rotation. Bradley, Seventh Woods, Williams, Luke Maye and Brandon Robinson provide a great deal of depth at several positions. All four of these young men could have had a role as a starter for another program. They desired to play for North Carolina and under the coaching of UNC head coach Roy Williams.

Playing all five of these guys provides a nice running group for [Roy] Williams. Woods’ transition to running more point guard for the Tar Heels only enhances his skill set. Woods has a reputation as an extraordinary dunker. His outside shooting, court vision and defense are underrated. He could have easily been a five-star recruit if he hadn’t been hampered by injuries during his final two years in high school.

Moreover, Woods has done a great job playing within the Tar Heels’ system. He does not try to take over games with his athleticism or high-flying dunks. His maturity has silently been a pleasant surprise for UNC.

Most freshmen players with a great deal of hype look to prove themselves on their respective teams. Woods doesn’t take that approach. He humbled himself enough to come into a situation and wait his turn, although he’s capable of doing more.

Robinson may be Carolina’s second best shooter on the roster after Jackson. His shooting touch and smooth stroke give UNC a huge upgrade to perimeter shooting from last season. Williams represents another deadly shooter from the perimeter.

The great thing about North Carolina’s 2016-17 roster is that they have a lot of lineup options.

They can go big or play small ball. They can play half court offense or run opponents off the court. They can utilize full court press, half court press or match-up man to man against any team. And they should match up well with some of the best teams in the nation.

Don’t underestimate North Carolina basketball this season. Yes, they lost Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson after falling short in the national championship game. However, they’re reloaded and poised to make another run for the ACC regular season, ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament championships.

Now is the wrong time to bet against Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels.