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UNC Basketball: Sports Illustrated doesn’t expect much from Tar Heels this season

By Blake Cockrum

GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 17: Ramses, the mascot for the North Carolina Tar Heels performs against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes during the final of the Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 17, 2013 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 17: Ramses, the mascot for the North Carolina Tar Heels performs against the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes during the final of the Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 17, 2013 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Sports Illustrated names Joel Berry II first team All-ACC, picks Tar Heels to finish fifth

Sports Illustrated has released its 2017-18 season preview, including player awards and projections for each conference.

According to the publication, the preview is guided by data from its College Basketball Projection System and utilizes information from economist Dan Hanner and SI’s Chris Johnson and Jeremy Fuchs. They project teams on a player-by-player, lineup-based level before recording the results of 10,000 season-long simulations, producing predictions for all 351 Division I teams.

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The Atlantic Coast Conference, in particular, looks similar to what nearly every college basketball analyst and pundit is predicting this season.

Sports Illustrated has Duke winning the ACC with a projected conference record of 14-4. The Blue Devils are followed closely by Louisville and Miami, who are each projected to win 13 ACC games and finish second and third, respectively.

Notre Dame came in at fourth in the conference, predicted to win 12 conference games. North Carolina rounds out the top-5, with a substandard win-loss projection of 11-7.

11-7 is definitely not the record that Tar Heels fans are hoping for this year, and certainly not one that will help the program compete for an ACC title.

Sports Illustrated’s Molly Geary had this to say of North Carolina’s upcoming 2017-18 campaign:

"“The reigning champs are likely in line for a step back in 2017–18, but they still have the pieces to compete. Tony Bradley’s departure after one season left the Tar Heels scrambling for frontcourt depth behind Theo Pinson and Luke Maye, and an April commitment by Garrison Brooks helped plug that hole somewhat. Still, UNC’s strength will clearly be in its backcourt and on the wing, where Final Four Most Outstanding Player Joel Berry II returns for what could be a monster senior season and three-point sharpshooter Cameron Johnson arrives from Pitt.”"

Sports Illustrated goes on to project an All-ACC first team that includes North Carolina’s Joel Berry II, Duke’s Grayson Allen, Georgia Tech sophomore Josh Okogie, Notre Dame’s Bonzie Colson and Duke freshman phenom Marvin Bagley III.

Bonzie Colson was picked as the conference Player of the Year, while Bagley was the obvious choice for Newcomer of the Year. Wake Forest junior guard Bryant Crawford was selected as the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year.

Related Story: Joel Berry II named 1st team All-America by ESPN

Stick with Keeping It Heel as we inch closer to the start of the 2017-18 college basketball season.

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