North Carolina remains firmly in the conversation for the ACC crown this season.
The Tar Heels have the talent to contend with the best, featuring one of the top frontcourt duos in the country in Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson, a veteran leader in Seth Trimble and an emerging freshman point guard in Derek Dixon.
While defense hasn’t been North Carolina’s strong suit, its 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-to-turnover ratio (1.77). They also rank second in offensive efficiency at 120.9.
They have the formula to win the ACC Tournament title, even if it might be a little late to secure the regular-season crown. But their road to a championship will be much tougher.
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. N.C. State has improved as the season has gone along, and Virginia Tech’s length could give opponents problems.
The ACC has always been a tough conference, but it is significantly stronger than last season.
Around this time a year ago, 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 that made the NCAA Tournament.
However, things changed this season as ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects as many as nine ACC teams to reach March Madness.
For 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 is still about a month of basketball remaining, and we are still figuring out who the Tar Heels really are. The ingredients are there. Now they just need the right chef to put it all together.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Tar Heels to navigate a tougher road to ACC title
