Carolina Primed For Third Title in Six Seasons

The NBA will come calling for these four, but for now it's all about a ring

Walking into the Dean E. Smith Center at North Carolina is similar to walking into a museum. Banners honoring the five championship teams hang from the rafters along with 47 banners that pay tribute to some of Carolina's finest players ever such as Jordan, Worthy, Perkins and Hansbrough. Those who make the banners may want to get ready for a heavy workload because this year's crop of Tar Heels looks ready to write their names in the history books. Rarely is one team so favored to win the national title during the preseason but coach Roy Williams has assembled a roster that would look good on NBA All-Star Weekend. Three would-be first round picks decided to stay at school and that gives Carolina a complete team, led by a pass-first point guard. It's easy to see that this team has all the ingredients for a title run.

When Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller announced they would return to campus for at least one more year it instantly vaulted the Heels into the discussion for the national championship. Barnes is a sophomore who entered college with an enormous amount of hype, yet failed to live up to it in the beginning of the season. However, halfway through the season Barnes turned it around and became a scoring machine, his year highlighted by a 40 point outburst in the ACC semifinals against Clemson. Look for Barnes to build on his 15.7 points per game from last season. For Zeller, this year is once again all about staying healthy. He struggled through his first few seasons at Chapel Hill simply because he couldn't stay on the court. Last season he stayed healthy and became the force he was expected to be. His back-to-the-basket prescence is invaluable and, even better, he is a big man who can run the floor very well. The other big man, John Henson, can be described in one word: athletic. A 6'10" forward with a wingspan of 7'2", Henson is a shot-blocking machine (3.1 per game) and he also cleans the glass (10.1 per game). Those three players will make a scary frontline that will arguably makeup the best one in the country.

Roy Williams is looking for his third title in Chapel Hill

However, point guard Kendall Marshall will have to most important role on the team. After Larry Drew's departure last season Marshall took the reigns for the final 16 games and the team went 13-3. The sophomore averaged over eight assists per game and it's his pass-first mentality that makes this team go. Surrounded by scorers and players who demand the ball, Marshall is one of the best in the nation at finding the open man. He is viewed as the leader on the team and it's his role to keep this group of stars happy. That's not an easy task considering there is only one ball to go around. If he continues to develop at point guard there will be no stopping Carolina on offense. Marshall is simply too quick too defend and too good at finding the open man.

The question most teams will face is how do you guard North Carolina? Well, pick your poison. As stated before, Marshall is quick enough to get around defenders and that penetration creates kickout opportunities to reserve sharpshooters, Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston. Those two have the ability to stretch a defense, something the Heels desperately missed last year. If Marshall gets into the lane a team cannot send a big to help because then will simply lob an alley-oop to Henson, Zeller or freshman phenom, James McAdoo. Offensive rebounding is no problem with those three either. On defense North Carolina may not be as sharp as other teams but Dexter Strickland has proven he can shut down the other team's best perimeter player and getting to the hole is hard with Henson's long arms awaiting.

Don't believe the hype around this team? Check the latest SLAM Magazine and several other basketball publications. Check the top of every poll. North Carolina definitely has a target on their back. It takes several pieces to complete the championship puzzle but UNC appears to have them all. Of course, several teams with extraordiary talent have failed to win a title because anything can happen in March but early signs point to Carolina being the last one standing in New Orleans. NBA riches will come soon enough for most of this team but for now, it's all about hoisting another banner in the Dean Dome.