The Elitist Jerks' Sports Information Collective

Post Originally by His Headness.

For North Carolina basketball fans, the period from April to October can be a dry one. No matter how much I invest myself into the Braves and college football, I still feel like I am missing a piece of my soul. Midnight Madness marked the beginning of another 6 month journey that I always begin with the hopes of a national championship.

I’ll be honest. The only Midnight Madness I’ve attended was prior to North Carolina’s stellar 8-20 campaign in 2001-2002. If this article coincides with similar results to that season, I will forever retire as a writer and probably retire from life in general. In the meantime, I will give my worthless outlook on the upcoming season for one of college basketball’s flagship programs.

For the first time in what seems like an eternity, number 50 will not be suiting up in the blue and white. We can debate who gives the better blow job, but Tyler Hansbrough and Tim Tebow have given college sports something it’s been lacking for a solid decade — a bonafide college star who loves nothing else than calling beer pongers out for leaning over the table and coercing coeds into acts they wouldn’t commit if their parents were around.

In all seriousness, this season is the beginning of a new chapter in UNC basketball. Not only is Hansbrough finished with his college career, but Tywon Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green will also be suiting up in NBA uniforms this season. This season will bring a whole new team front and center for UNC.

Let’s get down to the facts.

Carolina has some serious holes to fill. This isn’t quite the exodus we witnessed after North Carolina’s 2005 Championship squad, but the expectations for this year’s team are similarly reserved. Gone are the former National player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, as well as All-American caliber players Ty Lawson and All-ACC Wayne Ellington. Throw in the graduation of Mr. Versatile Danny Green and you have yourself a team with a completely new identity.

UNC’s backcourt lost some serious depth. Tywon Lawson was arguably CBB’s  most exciting player last year. With all due respect to Hansbrough and Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin, Lawson possessed that X-factor which makes a team a contender no matter the match-up. Filling the shoes of an All-American is never an easy task, but Larry Drew II appears to be the heir apparent. A solid PG recruit from the class of 2007 , Drew will be tasked with the duty of running one of CBB’s most dynamic offensive juggernauts. Fortunately, Drew will not be asked nearly as much as his predecessor. Simply orchestrating the machine should be enough for Carolina to make a deep run come March.

We’ll continue with UNC’s frontcourt. The big men will be the strength of the squad this season, no questions asked. Deon Thompson brings an experience factor along with an underrated skill set. While at times Thompson plays a bit soft for his size, his offensive abilities should shine as more of the scoring load will fall upon him with the graduation of Hansbrough. Complementing Thompson, Ed Davis returns as one of the most promising all-around forwards in the country. In limited minutes last season, Davis showed that he was capable of dominating games on both sides of the ball. Davis showed a defensive prowess that UNC has been lacking in the frontcourt for more than a decade, and his soft touch around the basket is reminiscent of former UNC great Sam Perkins.Tyler Zeller, who missed almost all of last season with a broken wrist, should provide points off the bench. In very limited (healthy) playing time last season, he showed why he was so highly touted out of high school. Together, Thompson, Davis, and Zeller combine for what should be one of the better frontcourts in all of college basketball.

The backcourt is where the real question marks exist. Larry Drew II is no Ty Lawson. Hell, not many can claim to be. In my opinion all Drew needs to do is make sure the machine runs smoothly. His outside shot is consistent enough to keep defenses honest. At the same time, his decision making should only improve from his freshman campaign. I expect Drew to be a formidable point guard who won’t be asked to do a whole lot more than manage the game. Forgotten leader Marcus Ginyard should compliment Drew as this season’s starting #2 (assuming he is 100% healed from his injury that kept him out of last season). For all those who claim “Roy doesn’t preach defense,” watch Marcus as he continually limits the opposing team’s star week after week. If you truly pop a boner by watching perimeter defense, Ginyard should produce nothing less than complete satisfaction. His defensive abilities in addition to his on court leadership make Marcus an irreplaceable piece to this year’s squad. Will Graves, who was suspended for the last couple months of last season, rounds out the returnees who should see major playing time in the backcourt. Graves’ will prove to be one of Carolina’s best outside threats, and if he improves on his ball handling abilities his underrated athleticism would allow him to become an above average penetrator (that’s what she said).

Now we turn to the babies. Roy brought in a monster class last season, headlined by match-up nightmare John Henson. At 6′10″ one would assume he will rotate with Thompson and Davis, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him at the 3 from time to time. His face-up game is excellent for his size, and in all honestly his small frame (only 200 pounds) limits his ability to bang around under the basket. The Wear twins, Travis and David, should also provide depth to an already deep frontcourt. At 6′9″ they can provide bodies to clog the middle should Carolina ever see themselves in serious foul trouble. I think they were a little overrated coming out of high school, but I believe they will develop into fine players down the road. I don’t expect a major impact from either Travis or David this season. Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald round out the class. Dexter Strickland, in my opinion, has a chance to be really special. He should see major playing time this season, and if Carolina wants to make a deep tourney they will need him to be an impact player.

Best case scenario: Final Four

Worst case scenario: Second round

Thanks for reading this entirely too long look into the 2009-2010 North Carolina Tar Heels.

Tags: 09-10 College Basketball Preview, Tarheels, UNC