UNC Basketball: Junior class coming up big for Tar Heels in 2017-18

UNC’s junior class of Luke Maye and Kenny Williams has been a big reason why the Tar Heels have been successful this season.

The Tar Heels enter Sunday’s game against Tennessee 9-1 in non-conference play, with just three games before they open up ACC play.

The hot start has featured excellent play from both of UNC’s juniors in Maye and Williams.

Maye came to UNC as a walk-on in 2015, seeking to earn a role on a team that was returning Brice Johnson, Marcus Paige, Isiah Hicks, Kennedy Meeks, Theo Pinson, Joel Berry, Justin Jackson and Joel James.

The forward averaged just above 5 minutes per game that season, shooting 39 percent and averaging 1.2 points per game. It was a struggle for Maye to find the court on a stacked team that lost in the national championship game to Villanova.

But the following year would change Maye’s career for the better.

Maye’s minutes per game soared to 14.1 in 2016-17 and he averaged 5.5 points per game. He was a key bench player in UNC’s national championship run.

Maye hit one of the biggest shots in North Carolina Tar Heels history when he drained a jumper from the left wing with just .2 seconds left on the clock to beat Kentucky. The shot sent the Tar Heels to the Final Four and Maye’s legacy was established.

While Maye was a walk-on at UNC, guard Kenny Williams took a different route.

Williams was committed to VCU under Shaka Smart but left when the head coach bolted to Texas.

That left the door open for UNC who recruited Williams and convinced him to become part of the program.

Like Maye, Williams got off to a slow start for the Tar Heels.

Williams played in just four minutes per game in his freshman season, averaging 0.8 points on a loaded team. His numbers went up the following season as he made some progress.

But Williams suffered a knee injury that cut his 2016-17 campaign short after he got off to a hot start before conference play.

As we stand today, both are having big years for the Tar Heels.

Maye has been the early surprise for the team, averaging 19.9 points and 10.5 rebounds in the 10 games this season.

He’s been able to not only work the paint but also step outside and be a threat on the perimeter.

His dynamic game has really helped UNC this season and gives their offense a legit scoring option to compliment Joel Berry.

Maye’s work on the boards hasn’t gone unnoticed either.

In the 10 games so far, Maye has scored 20-plus points and grabbed 10-plus rebounds a total of five times. That puts him in some elite company in UNC history:

With Maye’s emergence, the Tar Heels have a real shot at being a contender to reach the Final Four for the third-straight season.

Despite missing the conference schedule and NCAA Tournament last season, Williams is picking up where he left off in non-conference play.

The guard has improved his three-point shot this year.

His 55 percent shooting from beyond the arc in 10 games is up from 34 percent a year ago. That’s a drastic change for Williams.

With UNC losing the production of Justin Jackson from a year ago, Williams is now helping fill the void.

UNC can roll out a dynamic lineup of Berry, Williams, Pinson, Maye and freshman Garrison Brooks as a legit scoring lineup. That was a big question mark going into the season.

Williams is averaging 13.4 points and is shooting 54 percent from the field this season.

If he stays healthy, he could have a monster year as the Tar Heels gear up for ACC play.

Keeping up this production won’t be an easy task for either player as the ACC is arguably the best conference in all of basketball this season. But anything close to how they are playing in non-conference play is a big plus for the Tar Heels.

Next: Tar Heels climb back into Top 10

If they do keep it up, expect UNC to be right there at the end of the season in the race for not only the ACC title but another national championship.