A little more realistic

The Tarheels dropped to 12th in the polls after a tough loss to Syracuse last week.
The young team played a fairly average first half, but opened the second with a performance that brought up bad memories from Roy's first game against Kansas as UNC's coach -- a game that with Kansas jumping out to a 40-12 lead.

What folks seem to have forgotten about that game is that the Heels made an impressive comeback. I expect very much the same thing in this case. There's little question that the preseason ranking painted the Heels in a far more favorable position than they deserved. They are a young team, with a great deal of potential, but until that potential is proven -- which I have every expectation it will, eventually -- they are, at best, probably a mid-teens-ranked team.

Not news, but still exciting

Harrison Barnes, Scout.com's No. 1 recruit for the 2010-11 class, has commited to UNC. He's the third recruit in the top 25 to sign with the Tarheels, and with all the fresh talent that makes up the 2009-10 class, it promises to be an exciting few years. Here's just a taste of what's to come:

This is Harrison Barnes:


Reggie Bullock (be sure to watch this one to the end):


Kendall Marshall:

Turnovers

It sounds simpe, turnovers are game killers. But it couldn't be more true. Early in the season, the Heels are averaging somewhere in the area of 20 TOs per game for the 2009-10 season. The Heels are young, but they are going to have to learn how to protect the basketball. It's just that simple.

Not the 2008-09 team

It's clear, early on this season, that this is a much different team than the one that lifted the 2009 NCAA Championship trophy just seven months ago. The boys in blue lost more than 80 percent of their scoring, mostly to the NBA. The speed that made them dangerous last year has been replaced by size -- six guys on the roster are listed a 6-9 or taller. And the youth pretty obvious based almost solely on body mass -- or lack thereof.

And while they've got a lot of learning to do yet -- I think the preseason rankings are a bit kind, to say the least -- there's a lot of potential for the Heels. Marcus Ginyard has his work cut out for him as the leader of such a young club. Will Graves will have to step up and bring his experience on the court. Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller, both of whom say limited minutes last year, will be expected to be more regular contributors.

But there's still time for the youngest Heels to find their rhythm and begin to shape their new identity before ACC play begins. They play 15 of their first 22 games at home, which should help in that effort.

And so it begins

The season is underway, and I've been contemplating this blog for a while. Some of the greatest memories of my childhood involve Carolina basketball games with my father. Of everything I experienced in college, one of the memories that stands out the most is walking through the players' tunnel during the Carolina/Duke game. When shopping for our first home, my wife wanted many things. All I wanted was a room I could decorate with Tarheel gear -- my man room (more on that later).

To put it as succinctly as I know how, I love Carolina basketball -- despite my propensity to yell at the television with disapproval when Dickie V drones on and on about Dook, when I feel the Heels get a rotten call or, as sometimes happens even in Blue Heaven, when the boys aren't playing up to par.