UNC release
By Adam Lucas
The best thing about the official end of the 2014-15 season is that it's finally acceptable to look ahead to the 2015-16 season. Within minutes of last night's national championship game, a variety of outlets had already released their best early guesses at a preseason top 25. Here are four:
ESPN (Carolina #3)
NBC (Carolina #1)
SB Nation (Carolina #1)
CBS (Carolina #2)
Sporting News (Carolina #4)
With the likelihood that everyone who played a minute in the season finale against Wisconsin will be back, plus the continued development of players like Justin Jackson and Joel Berry II, plus senior leadership from Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, expectations will be high for the Tar Heels next year.
But there's another factor that plays a role in a team's regular season success: the schedule. The ACC has already announced the schedule rotation for the 2015-16 season. You can find Carolina's opponents here. Based on the above projections, a few thoughts on that league schedule:
The league is missing out on a Carolina-Virginia home-and-home. The Tar Heels have only one game against the Cavs next season, and it will be in Charlottesville. Considering how highly the two teams are likely to be ranked, it could harken back to the Worthy vs. Sampson games of the early 1980s.
Home and homes against Duke and NC State, as per usual, will be tough. Both the other Triangle squads appear somewhere in the top 15 of most polls.
GOHEELS!
By Adam Lucas
The best thing about the official end of the 2014-15 season is that it's finally acceptable to look ahead to the 2015-16 season. Within minutes of last night's national championship game, a variety of outlets had already released their best early guesses at a preseason top 25. Here are four:
ESPN (Carolina #3)
NBC (Carolina #1)
SB Nation (Carolina #1)
CBS (Carolina #2)
Sporting News (Carolina #4)
With the likelihood that everyone who played a minute in the season finale against Wisconsin will be back, plus the continued development of players like Justin Jackson and Joel Berry II, plus senior leadership from Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, expectations will be high for the Tar Heels next year.
But there's another factor that plays a role in a team's regular season success: the schedule. The ACC has already announced the schedule rotation for the 2015-16 season. You can find Carolina's opponents here. Based on the above projections, a few thoughts on that league schedule:
The league is missing out on a Carolina-Virginia home-and-home. The Tar Heels have only one game against the Cavs next season, and it will be in Charlottesville. Considering how highly the two teams are likely to be ranked, it could harken back to the Worthy vs. Sampson games of the early 1980s.
Home and homes against Duke and NC State, as per usual, will be tough. Both the other Triangle squads appear somewhere in the top 15 of most polls.
GOHEELS!
