Generally speaking, what do you consider a successful UNC season?

[gauchoheel]

Meaning not just based on our personnel this year.

Regular season overall?
In the ACC?
Tournament wise?

How well do UNC basketball teams need to do to leave you satisfied with the season?

 

[NCAAUCoach]

1) ACC finish in top 3 traditionally (smaller conference), so top 4 now

2) Out of 30 regular season games, minimum of 22-8 record

3) Sweet 16 in the NCAA

Overall, I expect UNC to be competitive. I don’t expect Final Fours every year, that comes in cycles.

 

[gobblercalls]

1 game ahead of dook in the regular season standings, 1 game farther than dook in the NCAA tournament, ACC tournament is a waste of time.

 

[pln2013]

Win the last game of the year

 

[MWHeels]

- Top 3 or 4 finish in ACC
- Sweet 16

This is a team that may have some growing pains early, especially with Joel getting back to full strength, but could really improve by the end of the season and be a tough out in the tournament.

 

[ayates]

Anything better than dook's season!

 

[heelmanwilm]

I’m admittedly spoiled by our success. This would be my minimum expectations for any season.

To be in the hunt for the acc championship at the end of the season

At least split with dook n state

Top 20 ranking

Advance to at least sweet 16

 

[dadika13]

To me, it all depends on what we have on the team. Last season, it was an ACC championship and a Final Four. This season, if we finish top 3 ACC and sweet 16 I'll be ok knowing we just won a natty and we have a STUD class coming in 2018.

 

[heels05champs]

Generally speaking:

* Remain in the top 25 all year
* Finish top 3 in conference standings
* at a minimum split with Dook but preferably sweep them
* minimum sweet 16 but preferably an elite 8

 

[RoseHeel]

Meaning not just based on our personnel this year.

it just depends year by year. And I tend to disagree with the whole "We're UNC and we should expect greatness" approach. a younger team won't perform at Championship caliber.

In 2016, I was hoping for at least a FF and a sweep of Dook, and Top 3 ACC finish
In 2017, I was hoping for at least an E8 appearance and a split with Dook.
This year, a S16, split with Dook, and A Top 5 ACC Finish would be good considering what we lost.

 

[keysersosay#1]

I agree with Rosie and 05 they both have realistic expectations that I share

 

[dadika13]

it just depends year by year. And I tend to disagree with the whole "We're UNC and we should expect greatness" approach. a younger team won't perform at Championship caliber.

In 2016, I was hoping for at least a FF and a sweep of Dook, and Top 3 ACC finish
In 2017, I was hoping for at least an E8 appearance and a split with Dook.
This year, a S16, split with Dook, and A Top 5 ACC Finish would be good considering what we lost.

Interesting you add the Duke games.

I definitely get up for those games more than any other non-NCAA or ACC tourney games but I don't really factor them into my season thoughts.

Like, I honestly don't remember what we did against them last year (except for losing in the ACC tourney to them since I was there). To me, winning a natty erases any other specific loss.

 

[NENCHeel]

Top Two in the ACC
Final Four

Anything under can range from decent to pretty good. Yes I'm spoiled but DAMN I love being spoiled.

 

[Ozheelfan]

20+ wins
Contend for ACC reg season title
Sweet 16
Well spoken, polite players who point to the passer, respect their coach and play for the team....

 

[gunslingerdick]

1 - Did we win the national title?
2 - Did we make the FF?
3 - Did we win the ACC Reg Season?
4 - Did we win the ACC Tournament?
5 - Did we sweep duke?


If the answer to all of those is "no", then the season wasn't a success.

 

[MWHeels]

20+ wins
Contend for ACC reg season title
Sweet 16
Well spoken, polite players who point to the passer, respect their coach and play for the team....

100% agree with all of this

 

[gunslingerdick]

Well spoken, polite players who point to the passer, respect their coach and play for the team....

I'm glad you poasted this. But I see it a little differently. My qualifiers for a "successful" season are a little more stringent. But with that said, in seasons that are not successful, that's when character is built. If you can still be well spoken, polite, stick together as a team, respect your coach and the program in down years, that's the mark of a solid program that seeks to build leaders.

 

[MWHeels]

Mainly, I just want to see each player work hard and strive to get better every day. And be positive representatives of the university both on and off the court. If they do that, I'll consider this season a success.

 

[RoseHeel]

Interesting you add the Duke games.

I definitely get up for those games more than any other non-NCAA or ACC tourney games but I don't really factor them into my season thoughts.

Like, I honestly don't remember what we did against them last year (except for losing in the ACC tourney to them since I was there). To me, winning a natty erases any other specific loss.

I see it as icing on the cake if we win any title, and a small consolation if we, and they don't.

IMO, I'd rank it something like Nat. Title > Tourney Champ = Reg Season Champ > Beat Dook > Top 25 all season.

 

[RoseHeel]

Mainly, I just want to see each player work hard and strive to get better every day. And be positive representatives of the university both on and off the court. If they do that, I'll consider this season a success.

Agree with this too, but I tend to watch this for player by player cases. improvement or, in cases like Berry, continue consistency is success.

Regression or Stagnation tends to be more disappointing.

 

[Steat]

Final Four

 

[MWHeels]

Agree with this too, but I tend to watch this for player by player cases. improvement or, in cases like Berry, continue consistency is success.

Regression or Stagnation tends to be more disappointing.

The guards / wings will be fine. We've all seen what Berry and Theo can do. Jalek has a lot of promise, and while Cam struggled with his shot against Barton, I think he will have a great year filling in for Justin Jackson. If the freshman in the front court develop and show improvement by the end of the year, I'm fine with that and will be very confident going into the 2018-2019 season.

 

[DSouthr]

A successful season for me is final 4, we are UNC and we do still have high standards. Now I don't always expect that, this season being 1 example. But this is a rebuilding season mostly so I do not expect a UNC successful season, I do expect an elite 8 season unless we get whacked hard by injuries late. I do not define any season as a fail unless we are not whacked by injury and still end up in the NIT and I would be shocked if that happened to us with Roy.

That Henson freshman season, we were extremely whacked by injury, our ending up in the NIT was not a failure, in fact it may have been the best coaching display in Roy;s career. I think in many ways ending up in that NIT the way that happened made Roy and even better coach because he had so much in season adversity that he had to deal with. I would suggest the second best coaching season for Roy may very well have been last season.

Rebuilding season or not I will always expect a top 3 ACC finish...

 

[MWHeels]

A successful season for me is final 4, we are UNC and we do still have high standards. Now I don't always expect that, this season being 1 example. But this is a rebuilding season mostly so I do not expect a UNC successful season, I do expect an elite 8 season unless we get whacked hard by injuries late. I do not define any season as a fail unless we are not whacked by injury and still end up in the NIT and I would be shocked if that happened to us with Roy.

That Henson freshman season, we were extremely whacked by injury, our ending up in the NIT was not a failure, in fact it may have been the best coaching display in Roy;s career. I think in many ways ending up in that NIT the way that happened made Roy and even better coach because he had so much in season adversity that he had to deal with. I would suggest the second best coaching season for Roy may very well have been last season.

Rebuilding season or not I will always expect a top 3 ACC finish...

Hopefully, Joel's injury is the only one the team will have to deal with this season.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

20+ wins
Contend for ACC reg season title
Sweet 16
Well spoken, polite players who point to the passer, respect their coach and play for the team....

These days of playing up to 40 games per season, I don't think 20 games means that much. 25 or 26 is probably the equivalent of 20 back in most of the Dean Smith era. But otherwise, I agree.

In my lifetime as a fan (beginning in 1963), UNC has averaged an Elite Eight (and often better) a bit more often than every other year. Dean = 15, Roy=8, Gut=2.

There can't be many teams I could have followed that would have been more rewarding than that.

 

[Ozheelfan]

These days of playing up to 40 games per season, I don't think 20 games means that much. 25 or 26 is probably the equivalent of 20 back in most of the Dean Smith era.....
.

Good point. 25-26 wins should be par for the course (paraphrasing some others here, barring calamities/injuries/PJ-like rubbish)

I'm glad you poasted this. But I see it a little differently. My qualifiers for a "successful" season are a little more stringent. But with that said, in seasons that are not successful, that's when character is built. If you can still be well spoken, polite, stick together as a team, respect your coach and the program in down years, that's the mark of a solid program that seeks to build leaders.

Good point 'slinger.... I reckon every fan has a somewhat sliding scale for success, dependant on the conditions/personell/NCAA/PJ &LMac/defections of spoilt west coast kids etc

*** OH YEAH.... Please everyone note how 'slinger disagreed with me without insulting me... I then engaged and responded without insulting back (Oz points to slinger as they run back down court)

 

[ohio tarheels]

Each season starts with different expectations for me....

Generally speaking I’d go 20 wins and a good showing in the NCAA tournament depending on our roster and our bracket

 

[TPFKAPFS]

Great responses!

We are UNC therefore:
Respectful, High character, hard working, intelligent players who enjoy each other and this beautiful game!
25+ wins
Top 2-3 ACC (trumped by ACC tourney champ or deep tourney run)
Top 10 NCAA
Split at least with puke & Moo
Top 3 seed in NCAA (trumped by deep run)
E8 or better.

I don't excuse "rebuilding" years because we should not have them. I do make exceptions for injury.

BTW: Just because it is not a successful season, does not make it a failure unless we can't at least accomplish the bolded requirement!

 

[MWHeels]

November 10th can't come soon enough. Go Heels!