Pre-Season Top 10

Promising that I would release my selections…

#1

Without the unparalleled presence of Tyler Hansbrough, this year’s UNC squad might just have fallen into the trap of entitlement.

Newscom

The players could easily look around and see that every one of the starters is back… plus the sixth man, notice that turnover machine Quentin Thomas graduated, feel comfort in Roy Williams’s oversight of each drill, meeting and walk through and really, habitually, know there’s a couple mindboggling good recruits fattening the depth even more in the interior and perimeter; so it’s all good.

Then the complacency sets in and ‘flip the switch’ therapy and psychology is circulated and digested from every fan and analyst alike.

Hopefully, if Tyler had left the program, his credence would have rubbed off on his teammates and nothing would have been taken for granted.

At least we know the answer now.

The top position is awarded to them simply by way of natural order. As many as 8 players on the current roster could lace them up in the NBA. Even if all of them end up playing like Brian Skinner, no one would have second guessed the tease.

Even if I didn’t think UNC was going all the way, I’d still have to put them in the #1 slot.

Did you not put the Celtics as the #1 team going in?