Tar Heels should be favorite to win National Championship
The Carolina Tar Heels are looking to add another national title and this year feels like the year they can get number eight with the talent that has been recruited.
The Tar Heels opened up the Dean Dome in an exhibition game against Winston Salem State University on Friday night, stomping a heel in them every way possible, winning 96-61. The Dome was rocking and despite the lack of competition, Carolina stepped up and showed they should be the favorites to be cutting the nets down in April.
Last night we saw no. 2 recruit Cole Anthony show flashes of what everyone expected when he committed to Carolina, which was pure greatness. Anthony would finish with 11 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, shooting 5-13 in 28 minutes of gameplay. Despite the tough shooting night, his steady aggressive nature rivals the impact 7th overall draft pick Coby White brought to the table, but more cleanly. Another bright spot was the physical play returning big-man Garrison Brooks brought to the table with 18 points and 11 rebounds while dominating the paint making eight out of 10 attempts in 27 minutes of play. Brooks would have help controlling the paint with freshman Armando Bacot showing complete domination with 10 points and 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes of play.
All wasn’t nice and pretty, however, with senior Brandon Robinson leaving the game early with an ankle injury after a chase-down block. Robinson, who was leading starter in points before exiting with the injury, ended up with eight points in just five minutes. Robinson is expected to have X-rays done today to figure out the significance of the injury and get a time table for return.
One of the bright spots for Carolina this year is the amazing depth they have with players like Christian Keeling, who dropped 14 points off 5 for 7 shooting, and Leaky Black, who had nine points, seven assists, and five rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
Roy Williams, in his 16th consecutive year coaching with the Tar Heels, has a good mix of talented players that look as good shooting the ball deep as they do rebounding and forcing turnovers. The Tar Heels, currently ranked 9th in the country, have some interesting out of conference competition this season with a home game against Ohio State University December 4th and away games against the Gonzaga Bulldogs and UCLA. If I was a betting man, I would bet it all that come to the end of the year Carolina will not only host the ACC championship but will be cutting the net on the biggest college stage of them all.