Final Game/Offseason UNC Post

***Disclaimer***
I understand that anything in this post that may be construed as negative is only written out of jealousy. Furthermore, I understand that I am totally unqualified to ask any questions about anything UNC basketbal related, because Roy Williams is in the Basketball Hall of Fame and I'm not...yet.


The University of North Carolina saw their basketball season come to an end on Saturday night in San Antonio, Texas. The Tar Heels were beaten by the Kansas Jayhawks 84-66 in one of the national semifinals.

UNC was 36-3, and they swept the ACC, winning the regular season and tournament championships. Losing in the Final Four is nothing to be ashamed of, either. Kansas is a very good team.

However, I am perplexed at some UNC fans' inability to turn a critical eye at their team following the loss. Almost every comment I have read from UNC fans trumpets their team's accomplishments, and I don't think I've seen one wondering how things went so wrong.

Kansas buried UNC with a first half avalanche. At one point, the score was 40-12. Roy Williams didn't do anything to try to stem the tide. In the biggest game of the season, he stuck with his "let 'em play" mentality, and the players dug a hole that proved too deep to escape. Last year, when State fans wondered why Roy didn't call any timeouts during NC State's victory over UNC, Carolina fans said Roy let the players struggle as a "learning tool." The Alamodome is a huge classroom, I guess.

In the second half, UNC made several surges, and eventually cut the lead to 4. Had a few bounces gone differently, UNC could have still had a shot at winning. One of the surges was countered by a Kansas surge, and Kansas burst began at a time when there was no one on the floor named Lawson, Hansbrough or Ellington. Other than blowouts and games Lawson missed due to injury, I'd be interested to know how often that happened this season. Especially in games where UNC was behind and struggling to catch up.

The loss actually becomes a part of a different story, one that I may do more research on later (but I doubt it). For the second straight year, UNC lost a game that they probably should have won. This Kansas no-show follows last year's collapse versus Georgetown. Other than 2005's championship run, Roy Williams has a history of under-achieving in the NCAA Tournament. Several of his Kansas teams failed to achieve expected tournament success, and this is the second straight disappointing exit at UNC.

Now, the UNC focus turns to how great next year will be. And it very well could be amazing. Most likely, at least two of the three UNC players who were expected to consider the NBA will now come back. There's a very good chance that Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, and Wayne Ellington will all return. Add in a star-studded recruiting class, and things look great for the Heels going forward.

The only question: chemistry.

Tyler Zeller and Ed Davis are both 5-star power forwards. How do they work with returners Hansbrough, Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson? Larry Drew is a 4-star point guard. He probably expected to battle Bobby Frasor for playing time. How will he like being potentially 3rd string?

Chemistry is a fickle beast. There are no guarantees. The UNC freshman class that included Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace had chemistry issues with the upper classmen. Chemistry problems do not prevent teams from being successful. UNC will be super-talented next season, and will be the odds-on favorite to win the ACC again. Chemistry can make a difference in a tournament game, though. If every single player is not on the same page, even the greatest team can fall.

Next season, Roy's task will be to juggle playing time and personalities.