North Carolina remains firmly in the conversation for the ACC crown this season.
The Tar Heels have the talent to compete against the best, with one of the best frontcourt duos in the country in Henri Veesaar And Caleb Wilsona veteran leader of Seth Trimble and a new freshman point guard at Derek Dixon.
While defense hasn’t been North Carolina’s strong point, it’s the offense is among the best in the ACC. The Tar Heels lead the conference in points per game (84.7), field goal percentage (49.5%), effective field goal percentage (57.5%), assists per game (16.7) and assist ratio (1.77). They also rank second in offensive efficiency with 120.9.
They have the formula to win the ACC tournament title, even if it might be a little late to clinch the regular season crown. But their path to the championship will be much more difficult.
Five ACC teams are currently ranked in the AP Top 25: Clemson (No. 22), Duke (No. 4), Louisville, North Carolina (No. 16) and Virginia (No. 17). Miami and SMU also received votes. NC State has improved as the season has gone on and Virginia Tech’s length could pose problems for its opponents.
The ACC has always been a tough conference, but it is significantly stronger than last season.
A year ago around this time, Duke and Louisville were the only two ACC teams in the AP Top 25. Clemson, Duke, Louisville and North Carolina were the only four ACC teams to make the NCAA Tournament.
However, things have changed this season as ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects as many as nine ACC teams to reach March Madness.
As of now, North Carolina is projected to finish at least in the top four in the standings and has the roster to win the ACC tournament in Charlotte. But there’s still about a month of basketball left, and we’re still figuring out who the Tar Heels really are. The ingredients are there. All they have to do is find the right leader to put it all together.
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This article was originally published on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Tar Heels to face tougher path to ACC title
