Clary's Carolina Corner Returns...#6 Tar Heels Season Opens Hosting NC Central Eagles

College Basketball Season is BACK!! And, so  is...CLARY'S CAROLINA CORNER!!!! I'm so thrilled to, once again, pen your game-to-game analysis of the North Carolina Tar Heels Men's Basketball program.  Throughout the season, you can follow my Blogspot as the Heels head down the Road to the Final Four!  If you are new to Clary's Carolina Corner, or if you just need a refresher, let me inform you of what you can expect and come to depend on.

Clary's Carolina Corner will provide Pre- and Post-Game analysis of each and every UNC Men's Basketball game of the 2014-2015 season.  Hoping to culminate at the illustrious NCAA Final Four to be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.  New to the "Corner" is where it originates...via Blogspot.  You can follow on your desktop and/or your mobile device!!  Back in 2006-2007, Clary's Carolina Corner started as a Mass Email to all my fellow Tar Heels. I wanted to up the ante for its return, so I pray you all enjoy the blog as much as I enjoy supplying it to you.  Well, enough of this intro!  It's time to jump right into action because it's College Basketball season, Baaabbbbyyyyy!!! (said in my best Dickie V voice).

It has been another hellacious off-season for the Tar Heels (not on the court, but off the court), but I will choose to keep the Academic Scandal discussion away from this blog.  My focus will be on-the-court and eyes to the recruiting trail at times.  But, you can guarantee, Clary's Carolina Corner will not disappoint!

It's almost Friday Night and the mood is Right!  Gonna have some fun, show you how it's done, Tar Heels TIP OFF!!!

#6 North Carolina Tar Heels (0-0, 0-0 ACC) host NC Central Eagles (0-0, 0-0 MEAC)

The Tar Heels open its season Friday night against the defending MEAC champion, NC Central Eagles.  Carolina is poised to make a strong run to the ACC Championship this year and a deep push through the NCAA Tournament.  UNC will, once again, be led by Preseason All-American guard, Marcus Paige; however, the supporting cast for the Heels this year are primed and ready to contribute at a high level.  Joining Marcus in the starting lineup will be fellow Juniors, the all-around dynamic J.P. Tokoto and beefed-up Brice Johnson, along with slimmed-down Sophomore Kennedy Meeks, and highly-touted Freshman Justin Jackson.  This starting lineup put on a show in the last Exhibition game played last Friday versus the Belmont Abbey Crusaders, ending in a 112-34 final score.  That was exhibition, tonight is the real deal.

With that said, Carolina enters tonight's matchup sporting tremendous depth all the way down the roster.  I can guarantee right now that this depth will be a huge storyline moving forward for the Heels this season. With guys like Sophomores Isaiah Hicks and Nate Britt, big man Joel James, and two very talented freshmen, Theo Pinson and Joel Berry II coming off the bench, there is plenty of support up and down this lineup.  From top to bottom, this year's UNC squad posts big-time potential and definitely warrants a Top-10 ranking.  Let's dive deeper into what the Tar Heels bring to the court this season.

The offensive leader in almost every Tar Heels category last season is back and on a mission for a March to the Final Four.  Marcus Paige is coming off a red-hot 2013-2014 campaign, which saw him rocket to the top of the NCAA food chain.  He is coming off a year where he averaged 17.5 points per game (ppg), 4.2 assists per game (apg), a .877 Free Throw Percentage (FT Pct.), and a .586 Field Goal Percentage.  He was named 2nd team All-American by the Sporting News and earned 1st-team All-ACC and Most Improved Player in ACC awards.  This year the sky is the limit for #5.  The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native is focused and locked in on surpassing last year's coming out party. His focus has always been on coming back and leading the Heels to a banner year.  As last year ended, he believed there was much more work to accomplish in Chapel Hill.

"There are so many factors that go into it, but for me the vast majority of those pushed me to stay in college," Paige remarked as last season came to a close. "Physically maturing, wanting to be a little bit more successful down in March and April, trying to hang a banner and win more, and also just that I enjoy my teammates a lot.  Everything just made sense for me to come back."  That is the kind of superstar player I want on my team!

Returning with Paige is the ever-versatile J.P. Tokoto.  This high-rising Junior has made great strides in the offseason to push his defensive skills to the max.  Already a proficient defender leading the team last year with 1.6 steals a game (spg), Tokoto has shown signs in the preseason that his footwork and quickness have even stepped up a notch.  His explosiveness as a finisher around the rim should razzle and dazzle the crowd in the Dean Dome this season, as well.  Sophomore big man Kennedy Meeks dropped 45 lbs off his frame in the offseason and is more conditioned to run the court like the other star big men during the Roy Williams' era at Carolina.  Like Sean May did for the Heels, Meeks is now prepared to run up and down the court this year which should bring him more points and keep him active around the rim.  This year's Tar Heels squad is definitely quicker than last, showing lightning quick speed on the fast break during practice and exhibition games.  Meeks weight-loss will bring immediate returns to the Tar Heel fast break.  Watch for this!  Isaiah Hicks will now look for a big year as he returns to his natural position, Power Forward.  Hicks, sophomore standout from Oxford, NC, has shown during practice and preseason that this position is where he can flourish.  In the four preseason games, he has led the scoring in two of those games (both in the Bahamas).  His ability to shoot over guys and use his body to position himself for more opportunities will be a huge asset for the Heels this season.  Expect big things from Hicks coming off the bench this season.  Also, sophomore Nate Britt will be tag-teaming the point guard efforts this season with Paige and freshmen Berry II.  Britt has undergone quite an interesting transformation this offseason.  Britt worked hard during the summer to change his shooting style to right-handed from left-handed.  It seems like a flawless switch as he has scored in double figures for both of the preseason games and he looks comfortable with his new form.  Even more intriguing is the fact that he will still shoot free throws left-handed even though his field goal attempts will come with the right hand.  Interesting indeed!

Alright, now you are caught up on the Tar Heels Roster....wait a minute...there is still a new group in town...The freshmen group I will now dub "PB&J", Theo Pinson, Joel Berry II, and Justin Jackson.  Like how I did that?!  Jackson has earned his way into the starting lineup for tonight's game and will become just the 10th Freshman during Roy Williams' tenure to start his first official game.  But, Jackson has surely earned it.  He has led the Tar Heels in scoring during the last two exhibition games and this McDonald's All-American has shown that his wiry and fierce play on the court opens the door for some offensive magic.  Don't be surprised if Justin is a top pick for Freshmen of the Year honors in the ACC.  This kid has some serious skills.  Theo Pinson is also a McDonald's All-American and he has great leaping ability as well.  His 6'6", 195 lb frame is perfect to play both forward and guard positions. A perfect asset to have coming off the bench and should get better with each and every game.  Berry II will play backup point guard and should have a chance to excel in that position this year as Paige may move more full-time to shooting guard in some situations.

Okay, you are caught up on the Heels 2014-2015 roster, so let's dissect tonight's game versus North Carolina Central Eagles.  The Eagles come off a sensational 2013-2014 campaign that saw them win the conference championship in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and reach last season's NCAA Tournament.  Coming off that impressive 28-6 season, the Eagles have been picked in some circles to repeat as MEAC champions.  Last season, NC Central knocked off NC State and played Wichita State and Iowa State very close.  The Eagles lost Jeremy Ingram, last year's leading scorer, to graduation but they bring back leader Jordan Parks (pre-season All-MEAC first-team selection).  If you can remember back to 2009, NC Central alumnus and head basketball coach, LeVelle Moton, made his debut as Eagles' coach against the Tar Heels, losing 89-42 in the two programs' only meeting.  NC Central will challenge themselves in non-conference matchups this season, playing Carolina, Creighton, Cincinnati, and Memphis.  They are looking to shake off the David vs Goliath moniker and actually prove to the nation they belong in the NCAA Tournament.

Eagles' head coach Moton says, "We will not shy away from top competition.  We take every challenge head on and with the amount of newcomers we have to mix in, this schedule will truly reveal what type of team we have."

The top competition starts tonight in the form of the North Carolina Tar Heels!  Ranked #6 in both the AP and Coaches Poll, Carolina has a squad that showcases a more versatile perimeter, led by Paige, and an aggressive size advantage downlow.  Having this impressive depth in both aspects, outside and inside, will be a refreshing change to Coach Williams' lineup and you should see him be able to utilize this advantage possession by possession.  With so much depth and talent this roster exudes, Ol' Roy is looking forward to finding the right ingredients.

"We'll experiment quite a bit, but at the same time we're going to try to win games, too," Williams said during his Wednesday press conference.  "It's important to realize that we've had two exhibition games where we were far more gifted than the teams we were playing, so I tried to experiment a lot during those times.  I don't see us experimenting nearly as much Friday and Sunday (against Robert Morris)."

If Williams can tinker the lineup just right for particular situations (whether it be a 3-guard lineup or a quick, feisty defensive lineup for full-court pressure), that could be the difference in a great year and A SEASON FOR THE AGES!!

With that said, it's time to bunker down and prepare for Tip-Off!! The season is almost underway and you DON'T want to miss all the action right here at CLARY'S CAROLINA CORNER!! GO HEELS!


Matchup:        NC Central Eagles (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) vs #6 UNC Tar Heels (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
Gametime:      Friday 11/14/14 @ 8:00 PM EST
Location:        Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio:      ESPNU or ESPN3/Tar Heels Sports Radio Network