The North Carolina Tar Heels are an impressive 3-0 against top 25 opponents this season. While the Tar Heels have been impressive against the top teams in the country, the have been sub-par against the rest of the field. With three losses to three potential bubble teams (Texas, Belmont and Alabama-Birmingham), North Carolina has lived and died by their inconsistency. P.J. Hairston’s career is officially over at North Carolina, which should serve as a reality check to Tar Heel fans. North Carolina does not have the roster to be a contender for the National Championship this season.
North Carolina may not have the talent to hang up a banner this season, but the Tar Heels are still a quality team. James McAdoo’s name has been synonymous with the word potential since he set foot on campus. The North Carolina forward has never quite lived up to expectations, and this season has been no exception. McAdoo has had a minuscule regression in nearly every statistical category. Hairston is not coming back, which means that the season rests squarely on the shoulders of McAdoo.
In its Friday night showdown against Northern Kentucky, North Carolina did something it hadn’t done all season; North Carolina took care of business against an unranked opponent. North Carolina would never trail, as the Tar Heels started the game on a 14-2 run. McAdoo struggled in the first half, but lit it up in the second half by scoring 12 of his 14 points. With his 14 points, McAdoo extended his double digit scoring output to five straight games. North Carolina is now 6-3 against unranked opponents.
Jack Dooley is a Big 12 Basketball writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JackDooleyOCS.
