Expectations are high for North Carolina, and justifiably so.
The Tar Heels, who return all five starters from last year's Final Four team, have already been unanimously tabbed the best team in the country, let alone the ACC.
And most of the hype is because of some guy named Tyler Hansbrough.
Hansbrough, the reigning National Player of the Year and three-time first-team All-American, is looking to become the first player since Purdue's Paul Hoffman in the 1940s to earn the national honor four times.
He will also likely be the first player to win first-team All-ACC honors for four straight years, and, in the process, could break the ACC's all-time scoring record. With 2,168 points, the senior is just 602 points away from surpassing former Blue Devil J.J. Redick's mark of 2,769. Leading the ACC in scoring and rebounding last season with 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds, Hansbrough's dominance has almost become expected by his team.
"It's not something that you're worried about, him not coming out and performing or giving that effort," senior Marcus Ginyard said. "I don't necessarily know that that's taking him for granted. I'm just confident in his ability."
Complementing Hansbrough's strong interior presence are two of the country's most talented perimeter players, juniors Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson.
Running the point will be Lawson, who averaged 5.3 assists last season and is considered one of the fastest ball handlers in the nation. Lawson's ability to get out in transition and run the fast break will serve as a nice contrast to Hansbrough's post play.
Ellington, a second-team All-ACC selection, averaged 16.4 points per game last season and shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc. His explosiveness around the basket and ability to score from the outside should make Ellington a solid second option to Hansbrough on the inside.
With a team as talented as the Tar Heels, it seems as if anything less than a national championship would be a disappointment-that is, unless any of the teams behind them dispute a claim of unananimity.
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