University of North Carolina Athletics
Woody's Word: UNC Hoops Highly Rated
September 24, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Sept. 24, 2006
No, I didn't put this column together because the football team is struggling at 1-3.
I didn't do it because the women's soccer team lost its opening match for the first time since 1983 or the men fell to N.C. State for the first time since 1997.
The field hockey team recently dropped three matches in a row, and the volleyball team suffered a seven-game losing streak, but that didn't do it.
I did it because Carolina basketball--both men and women--is a favorite for national honors, which comes as no surprise.
Lindy's and Athlon have the first pre-season magazines on the newsstand, and Lindy's rates Carolina right behind top-rated Florida, the defending national champion, among its top teams. The Gators have all five starters back from the 2006 squad. Athlon doesn't break it down into a Top 25, but the magazine expects Carolina to be in the 2007 Final Four along with Florida, Alabama and Kansas, and the Tar Heels are the choice over the Gators to cut down the nets in the Georgia Dome.
Lindy's doesn't offer a championship prediction, but the magazine expects Carolina, Florida, Kansas and Ohio State to be in Atlanta.
Lindy's did pick Maryland as the top team among the women with Carolina a close second, and Duke in the number seven slot. Athlon didn't agree. It chose Carolina number one with Maryland as its second choice. Duke was listed sixth, and N.C. State came in at number 22.
Lindy's--the first pre-season magazine to be released--rounded out its Top Five with Kansas, Ohio State and Pittsburgh. Boston College was 11th, and Duke was ranked 13th. Georgia Tech at 27, Maryland at 29 and Virginia at 39 rounded out the ACC entries in the Top 25.
Ohio State will be Carolina's opponent in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, while Gonzaga (28) and Winthrop (30) could show up in the Pre-season NIT, and Kentucky (37) comes to Chapel Hill in early December.
Both magazines rate Carolina as their ACC favorite with either Boston College or Duke in the number two spot. Georgia Tech is fourth, but there is some disagreement as to the rest of the order. Lindy's puts Maryland fifth, but Athlon has the Terps in the ninth spot. Athlon puts Florida State at number five, but Lindy's doesn't forecast the Seminoles to be any better than eighth.
Tyler Hansbrough made the cover of both publications, but Athlon let him have its ACC regional cover all to himself. The talented sophomore made the pre-season All-America squad, but he is the only Tar Heel named to the ACC's first-team. Reyshawn Terry was picked on the second team.
Lindy's rates the Carolina backcourt as the nation's best, and picks the Tar Heel frontcourt right behind top-ranked Florida. Hansbrough is the number one power forward, while Terry was listed as the tenth best small forward.
Rookie Brandan Wright is 15th among the nation's best centers, and Wayne Ellington is also 15th among the shooting guards. Tywon Lawon, another member of the best recruiting class, is eighth among the top point guards.
Among the nation's top freshmen Lawson is the best guard, Ellington the best shooting guard and Wright is the best power forward. William Graves, North Carolina's best high school player, is 18th among the small forwards, while Deon Thompson is sixth and Alex Stepheson is 11th among the first year centers.
Roy Williams was asked last spring just how he was going to be able to keep all of these players happy. Without hesitation, the veteran coach replied, "It's not my job to keep these players happy. It's their job to keep me happy."
Early indications are they will be able to do just that.
