ESPN Men's Basketball

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- I caught up with North Carolina coach Roy Williams for a few minutes before he addressed fans at the Rams Club’s Triangle Tour stop on Tuesday night. A few notes:

COACHING TREE GROWS: Williams said he plans to hire a person with UNC ties to replace assistant coach Jerod Haase, who left earlier this month to become head coach at UAB. But it won’t be last season’s assistant strength and conditioning coach Jackie Manuel, who is now an assistant coach at UNC Greensboro under former Tar Heels guard Wes Miller. And it won’t be assistant video coordinator Bobby Frasor, Haase’s new director of basketball operations.

Williams thought it would be good for the former Tar Heels guards to gain more coaching experience outside of Chapel Hill.

“I asked Wes to take Jackie, and it was an easy sell. I asked Jerod to take Bobby, and that was an easy sell. Because I thought those were great spots for them to start their coaching career,’’ Williams said. “They were wonderful kids, but I wanted them to understand that not every place is like North Carolina.

“I think it was great for me that I was a high school coach for five years; I was an assistant coach for 10 and I had two practices for eight. I realize that somebody’s got to flip a switch to turn the lights on, somebody’s got to mop the floor; it doesn’t just happen magically. And when you coach at North Carolina, you think that all those things happen magically, and they don’t. Somebody has to do that.”

TEAM LIKELY SET: With three underclassmen leaving early for the NBA draft and ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller graduating, the Tar Heels lose four-fifths of the starting line-up that led UNC to the NCAA regional finals. A four-man freshmen class arrives in June, but it sounds like Williams doesn’t expect any late additions to next year’s team.

“We always keep our eyes and ears open; I’m never going to say that we wouldn’t be interested," he said. “But there’s nobody out there. There was all this stuff in the paper about one player, that we were doing all this stuff. I talked to the kid one time, period.

But, he added, "we’ll always keep our options open."

Although he didn’t give that player’s name, Williams was referring to his call to Connecticut forward Alex Oriakhi, who chose instead to transfer to Missouri. Oriakhi won’t have to sit out a season because the Huskies are barred from playing in next year’s NCAA tournament, and he would have added an experienced big body to a Tar Heels team that loses both starting forwards (Zeller and John Henson).

Williams told fans Tuesday night that sophomore forward James Michael McAdoo (who will slide into one of those starting positions) “has a chance to be a big-time, big-time player; he’s got to step his game up.”

Wing Reggie Bullock, he added, “will have to take his game to another level."

Meanwhile, “Dexter [Strickland] and Leslie [McDonald] have to come back in and be healthy, and then the freshman group we have coming in, they’ve got to show us that they’re strong players, as well.”

With so many veteran players on the perimeter and so many younger ones in the post, it will be key to see whether Williams opts to go with a smaller, guard-heavy line-up compared years past. Even he doesn't know -- yet.

“It will be interesting to see how my thought process goes over the summer,’’ he said.

MIGHT-HAVE-BEENS: Not surprisingly, it’s been a difficult few weeks for Williams, after his team -- which began the season ranked No. 1 and had national title goals -- lost to Kansas in the NCAA tournament in the Midwest Region final.

“It’s been really hard, because it was a great, great year with a sad, sad ending. … Our last regular-season game, when we played at Duke, I thought we were pretty doggone good. And I said on the bus, just to our coaching staff, that for me, if we played like that, then we have a chance to win the whole thing.

“Then the very next game, John gets hurt [sprained wrist] -- and John was never the same. And then the second game in the NCAA, Kendall [Marshall] gets hurt, and that’s about as unlucky as I’ve ever been, I guess, too.”

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

North Carolina forward John Henson, the two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year who is leaving school early for the NBA draft, will be represented by Jim Tanner of Washington, D.C.-based Williams & Connolly LLP, the firm announced Tuesday.

Tanner also represents former UNC forwards Marvin Williams and Brandan Wright, among others.

"When looking for representation, I wanted to find a group that fit with my goals and personality," Henson, a junior, said in a prepared statement. "Jim and the team at W&C had a very specific and unique plan for me, and that was important. Overall, I just felt comfortable with them, and that they truly cared about my career."

This month, sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall chose Octagon to represent him in the draft, while senior forward Tyler Zeller hired Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management.

Sophomore forward Harrison Barnes, meanwhile, will be represented by agent Jeff Wechsler, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

All four starters -- who led the Tar Heels to the Midwest Regional Final in the NCAA tournament -- are projected as first-round draft picks.

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

In his latest NBA mock draft (version 3.0), ESPN Insider Chad Ford on Wednesday ranked North Carolina's quartet of players all in his top 15. For the full list, click here . But here's where he currently has the Tar Heels:

• 6. Harrison Barnes (to Cleveland Cavaliers)
• 9. Kendall Marshall (to Utah Jazz)
• 10. Tyler Zeller (to New Orleans Hornets)
• 15. John Henson (to Houston Rockets)

Thoughts, anyone?

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall, who opted to leave school early for the NBA draft, has chosen Octagon to represent him, his father told insidenova.com.

Meanwhile, senior forward Tyler Zeller has hired Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management as his agent, a UNC team spokesman said Wednesday.

Dennis Marshall told the website that the family chose Virginia-based Octagon because it is a local company that represents only about a dozen other NBA players.

“Their client list is comparable to Kendall’s personality,” Dennis Marshall told insidenova.com. “They are going to provide a lot of personal attention and be very smart about the process and Kendall’s career.”

Marshall said his son, the Bob Cousy award winner who missed UNC’s final two NCAA tournament games because of a fractured wrist, will finish classes in early May. Then he will train with Tim Grover in Chicago and John Lucas in Houston before attending the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago in early June. The sophomore is currently projected as a lottery pick.

Zeller, the ACC Player of the Year, is also projected to go in the lottery. By choosing Schwartz and Excel, the senior 7-footer joins a firm that also represents former Tar Heel stars Jerry Stackhouse and Tyler Hansbrough -- as well as Zeller's older brother, Luke.

Junior forward John Henson, the two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year who also opted to leave early for the NBA, has not yet chosen an agent, his father Matt wrote in an email Wednesday -- but he expects that decision will be made in the next seven days. Sophomore wing Harrison Barnes also has not yet publicly named an agent.

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

North Carolina forward James Michael McAdoo is still thinking about whether to return for his sophomore season or jump to the NBA early -- but he will make his decision this week, his father said in a text message Monday morning.

"James Michael came home for the weekend, we are still processing information before James Michael makes a decision,'' Ronnie McAdoo said in the text message. "[James Michael's] decision to stay at UNC or enter the 2012 draft will be made this week."

McAdoo, a reserve forward, averaged 6.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 15.6 minutes this season. But he came on strong late, particularly when he started three postseason games (two in the ACC tournament, one in the NCAA tournament) in place of junior John Henson, who was sidelined by a sprained left wrist.

As he gained more and more confidence, McAdoo showed the athleticism that made him a McDonald's All-American -- the ability to steal balls out of the backcourt and finish on the other end, to spike putback jams.

He was also the Tar Heels’ leading scorer (15 points) when UNC lost to Kansas in the Midwest Regional final, and his late-season performances pushed him into the lottery of many mock drafts. ESPN’s Chad Ford currently lists him at as seventh in his top 100.

UNC starters Henson, Harrison Barnes and Kendall Marshall all announced last week that they were leaving early for the NBA. ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller is graduating. That means McAdoo's return would be particularly key, as he would be the Tar Heels' most experienced player (and go-to guy) in the post.

Last week, McAdoo's father said he expected his son to return to UNC next season -- but that it would ultimately be James Michael's decision. As per NCAA rules, players have until April 10 to decide whether to leave early for the NBA.

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

After Tyler Zeller walked off the Edward Jones Dome court last Sunday, still stunned by his team’s 80-67 loss to Kansas in the NCAA Midwest Region final, it was hard to put into perspective what this North Carolina team’s legacy might be.

“We did win 30-plus games,” the senior 7-footer said. “I mean, hopefully it’s a good [legacy]. We had a lot of great players, we just came up a little short.”

UNC didn’t meet its goals of reaching the Final Four, of winning the NCAA championship. And with the loss of Zeller (who is graduating), plus fellow starters John Henson, Harrison Barnes and Kendall Marshall (who announced Thursday they are entering the NBA draft early), this team leaves on a bittersweet note.

For some, it will always be the season of ‘What if?’ -- as in: What if Leslie McDonald, Dexter Strickland and Marshall had not been injured and in street clothes for that final game? What if Barnes had been able to make a few more shots? What if the Tar Heels hadn’t panicked in those final four minutes against the Jayhawks?

For others, it will be a season of unfulfilled promise -- a team chock full of NBA first-rounders that just couldn’t get it done.

And for still others, it will be remembered as a season of perseverance -- a group of players that came back from big losses and tough injuries, until they just couldn’t anymore.

For all, there will be memories -- some the players, coaching staff and fans will want to hold on to, some they might want to forget.

In that vein, here are 10 standout moments/happenings that shaped the season (in chronological order):

THE CARRIER CLASSIC: The final score (67-55 over Michigan State by the way) wasn’t what really mattered in the opening game.

Staged on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson, under the San Diego sunset, the game was about honoring the nation’s servicemen on Veteran’s Day, saying thank-you in the form of shots and dunks and camo-colored jerseys. All in front of President Barack Obama on 11-11-11.

After the final buzzer, the players stripped off those jerseys -- which also featured “USA” instead of their individual names -- and gave them to the Wounded Warriors sitting courtside.

"Hopefully I'll be coaching another 10 or 15 years,” coach Roy Williams said afterward, “but I think it's going to be hard to top this."

PANIC AND FREEZE: In 2010-11, UNC had been a team that thrived in late-game-situations. So when they panicked against UNLV in the second half on Nov. 26 -- allowing the Rebels a 14-0 run from which the Tar Heels never recovered -- then froze in the final five seconds at Kentucky about a week later -- inexplicably failing to call timeout after Henson’s shot was blocked with five seconds left -- it was a perplexing reminder that this team had some growing to do.

The UNLV loss pushed the Tar Heels out of No. 1 in the rankings, a spot to which they never re-climbed. The loss to Kentucky gave the Wildcats the bragging rights … and a bunch of folks hoped there would be a re-match in the Final Four. That will become another one of those ‘what-ifs,’ especially if UK wins the national title.

NINE-GAME HOME WINNING STREAK: Yawn.

Williams wanted to play Texas on the road instead of at the Smith Center, wanted some sort of test between Dec. 6 and Jan. 10. Instead, the Tar Heels got a nine-game home winning streak against the likes of Evansville, Nicholls and even ACC freshman-laden foe Boston College. It padded their record, but also their egos -- and set up the embarrassment that came next.

33 POINTS: UNC’s 90-57 loss at Florida State was so lopsided, so humiliating, that Williams ended up taking his team off the court early -- leaving three walk-ons and two freshmen to play it out and deal with the rushing crowd (the coach later said he didn’t mean to abandon the quintet).

Many analysts, and some fans, wrote the Tar Heels off during that Jan. 14 game, questioning their heart, their desire, their toughness. Until the end of the season (maybe even now), UNC kept the number '33' written on a board in the locker room, a reminder (and motivator) of what happens when you think it’s going to be easy, when you don’t play with focus and drive.

“That was the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done in my life, because it was to the point where I never thought I’d leave a game early because we’d lost by that much, and they were going to storm the floor,’’ Zeller said in the days after loss. “And it was just something I hope to never experience again.”

LOSING DEX: What’s worse than playing in the most lopsided loss of the Roy Williams era? Losing a starter just three days later. It happened in the second half at Virginia Tech, when Strickland was driving toward the bucket and ended up on the baseline, screaming in pain.

UNC’s starting shooting guard/backup point guard/best perimeter defender was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his knee, and he became the second perimeter player sidelined, joining McDonald (out since the beginning of the season) on the bench in street clothes.

Sophomore Reggie Bullock filled in admirably at shooting guard, increasing his defensive focus while also burying shots. But from the beginning, Williams predicted that backup ball handler would be where Strickland was missed the most. And in the end, he was.

ZELLER BOUNCES BACK: Scribbled on the sidewalk outside the Smith Center prior to the Feb. 11 win against Virginia was a simple message: “Believe in Zeller.” Perhaps more importantly that game, the big guy believed in himself.

Just three days after a nightmarish loss to Duke -- during which Zeller missed two free throws, accidentally tipped in a Blue Devils shot, and was the defender on freshman Austin Rivers’ game-winning 3-pointer in the closing minutes -- the senior came back to record 25 points and nine rebounds against the Cavaliers. When he left the game for good, it was to a standing ovation.

“Z’s fine,’’ Henson said after the game. And Zeller was more than fine. That performance was the beginning of Zeller’s push to ACC Player of the Year honors.

REVENGE AT DUKE: This was the UNC team everyone had expected to see from the beginning of the season. Angered by the video board replay of Rivers’ game-winning shot at the Smith Center, the Tar Heels rushed to a 22-5 lead in the opening eight minutes of the March 3 re-match at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and ended up winning, easily, by 18.

This time, there was no hope for any comeback -- except for the Tar Heels, in the minds of those who had written them off.

“One thing that we talked about is people are going to put you on a pedestal to knock you down,’’ Marshall said after the game. “That’s what happens. We weren’t going to be perfect unless we went out and won every game by 30. That’s not what happened … we learned from our mistakes, we continued to get better. And now it’s all starting to come together.”

MARSHALL VS. NCSU: One dimensional? Bah.

The point guard proved he could do more than pass when he posted a career-high 22 points with 13 assists at NC State in late February. In the ACC tournament semifinals he took it another step: scoring when it mattered the most.

With 10.2 seconds left, on March 10, Marshall buried a bank shot -- making contact with Wolfpack guard Alex Johnson, who wanted a charge called. Senior Justin Watts sealed the win for his team (which was playing without the injured Henson) with a steal.

But the NBA scouts had to be impressed with Marshall's points, especially since had already set the ACC record for assists in a season during his first conference tournament game. Later, when pondering his NBA choice, Marshall had to know it, too.

STILMAN WHO? He should have been more scared. Later, he even admitted it. Instead, starting his first-ever college game -- and in the NCAA Sweet 16, to boot -- freshman point guard Stilman White was calm. Even a little confident.

With Marshall sitting on the bench in street clothes, his fractured right wrist in a brace, White recorded six assists and zero turnovers in the Tar Heels’ overtime win against Ohio. It was the stuff those of cheesy made-for-TV movies. Only it was true. And it resonated.

“It was one of the great stories in North Carolina basketball,’’ Williams said of White, who finished with 13 assists and zero turnovers in two NCAA starts.

THE PAINFUL DECISION: Williams admits he got his hopes up the day after the Ohio win, when Marshall was able to practice a bit to see if he could possibly play in the Midwest Regional final against Kansas. “We got him to run up the court, pass and catch and dribble. Being a one-armed player, he was still pretty good,’’ Williams said.

The coach thought his starting ball handler might just be able to contribute in his specially-fitted brace … until Marshall walked into a meeting room Sunday morning, and it was too painful to pass, dribble and shoot.

Without him -- and with Bullock playing in a knee sleeve, Henson competing on a newly sprained ankle, and Barnes struggling to hit shots -- the Tar Heels panicked, then collapsed in the closing minutes to the Jayhawks, falling short of their Final Four goals.

In the locker room, there were tears and ice bags and laments for the moments that were. And the ones that might have been.

“You can talk about talent, talent, talent … but it was off the charts, what this team had to face,” Williams said. “And I’m really proud of our team.”

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

After winning the 2005 national title, North Carolina lost its top seven scorers -- but saw the youth-laden 2006 squad exceed expectations and advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

After winning the 2009 title, the Tar Heels lost their top four players -- and saw the 2010 team fail to even make the NCAA tournament.

Which way will next season's UNC team (which lost in the NCAA regional finals last Sunday) go, after absorbing the early departures of power forward John Henson, wing Harrison Barnes and point guard Kendall Marshall -- plus the graduation of ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller and reserve Justin Watts? Much will depend on cohesion, leadership and injuries, three things that didn’t go the Tar Heels’ way in ’10.

A few other very early questions to ponder:

1. Will James Michael McAdoo return?

The freshman’s father, Ronnie, said Wednesday that his son plans to travel home this weekend to discuss the situation (some mock drafts list him as a top-10 pick), but that right now, he expects the forward to be back in a Tar Heels uniform next season. McAdoo’s (6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg) return would be key, because with starters Henson and Zeller gone, he’ll have the most experience (and be to the go-to guy) in the post.

Defensive-minded forward Desmond Hubert should also get plenty of minutes, and should be helped by an offseason to put on weight and work on his offensive moves. UNC also adds two big guys in freshmen Joel James and Brice Johnson. And UConn transfer Alex Oriakhi is still looking for a new home; might he end up in Chapel Hill?

2. Will the ballhandlers adjust quickly?

Point guard, UNC coach Roy Williams has often said, is the most difficult position for a freshman to grasp, especially in the Tar Heels’ fast-paced system. But the onus will fall on McDonald’s All-American Marcus Paige -- a 6-foot-1 Iowa product who Williams called “a great floor general” -- to do so.

With limited options, he’s the favorite to start next season. But just as important will be his back-ups. UNC doesn’t just lose Marshall, but Stilman White, the former third-string freshman who had to start two NCAA tournament games after Marshall broke his wrist, and because Dexter Strickland suffered a season-ending knee injury in January. White will leave for a two-year Mormon mission after this semester. Strickland, meanwhile, is still rehabilitating after surgery, but said last week he hopes to be able to play again in about two months.

UNC will also have another ballhandler available in sophomore Luke Davis. After transferring from Gardner-Webb, he sat out last season as per NCAA rules, but has had a year to learn the system.

3. How are the knees?

While Strickland is still recovering, the good news is that shooting guard Leslie McDonald, who redshirted in 2011-12 because of reconstructive knee surgery last summer, was able to practice with the team in the final months of the season, and should be eager to get back to his sharpshooting ways come the fall.

With so many wings on the team -- McDonald, Strickland, Reggie Bullock (who took over as starting shooting guard once Strickland was injured), P.J. Hairston and incoming freshman J.P. Tokoto -- it will be interesting to see how the minutes are divvied out. But the shooting guard and small forward positions should be a strength, because of the experience and depth that returns there.

For North Carolina, the injury-plagued 2011-12 season can be summed up with the phrase "What if?"

But its offseason begins with "What now?"

Sophomore wing Harrison Barnes, junior power forward John Henson and sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall all are entering the NBA draft, the school announced Thursday. Include 7-footer Tyler Zeller, who is graduating, and the Tar Heels lose four-fifths of the starting lineup that led them to the NCAA regional finals.

Another player, reserve forward James Michael McAdoo, is pondering his decision this weekend, though his father said Wednesday he expects the freshman forward to be back in a UNC uniform next season.

"It's a great day for three youngsters who are taking another step toward their ultimate goal of playing professional basketball," coach Roy Williams said in a statement. "On a very small stage, it's a sad day for me because I won't get to coach them again. All Tar Heel fans will miss them greatly, as well."

For the rest of the story, click here.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams reiterated on his Monday night radio show that he planned to start meeting individually with his players this week -- including those who might be pondering an early jump to the NBA.

“I’ll bring those guys in and just see what they’re thinking, and I’ll start my calls around to the NBA teams to get as much information as I can, and try to at least get the process started this week,” Williams said.

Junior John Henson, sophomores Harrison Barnes and Kendall Marshall, and freshman James Michael McAdoo are all considered first-round draft picks. Underclassmen have until April 10 to decide this season, as per NCAA rules.

“I would think some decisions would come quicker than others,’’ Williams said. “… It all depends on what those kids say to me, and what their parents feel, and going from there.

“But I don’t think it’ll be long and drawn out or anything, because it’s only two or three weeks before they have to make up their mind anyway."

Some other notes from Williams’ final radio show of the season:

[+] Enlarge
Jeff Curry/US PresswireUNC coach Roy Williams said that the seldom-used Stilman White filled in admirably for injured star Kendall Marshall.
• Williams called freshman Stilman White’s 13-assist, zero-turnover performance during two NCAA games in place of the injured Marshall “one of the great stories in North Carolina basketball. What that kid did, I hope he’ll remember the rest of his life.” White is still planning to go on his two-year Mormon mission after this semester, Williams said.

• Henson, who missed three games with a sprained left wrist before returning for UNC’s final three NCAA games, was only about 60 percent of what he was before he got hurt, Williams said. The forward was also hobbled by a sprained ankle during Sunday’s loss to Kansas. … Shooting guard Reggie Bullock was also at less than 100 percent Sunday after hyperextending his left knee in Friday’s win over Ohio. Bullock ended up wearing a sleeve on his knee.

• The Tar Heels only have a couple of slots open on next year’s schedule, which includes a trip to the Maui Invitational, and games at Texas and Long Beach State.

• Williams was talking about his four-man incoming freshman class when he told a funny story about forward Joel James: “First time I saw him … I’m sitting under the basket, and the ref calls a foul. And he looks at me -- and we hadn’t even started recruiting him yet --and he says, ‘Coach, I didn’t touch him; I swear I didn’t.” And I said, ‘Big fella, I agree. Ref, you screwed that one up.’ I made a friend that day, and we decided to recruit him. [He was] 310, now he’s down to 260, and has a chance to be one of those great success stories.”

• All four of those incoming freshmen will arrive at UNC for the second session of summer school.

• As a member of the NABC, Williams does plan to attend the Final Four in New Orleans. But it’s not a lot of fun, he said, when his team is not there with him. “When will I be able to put this game behind me?” he said of the loss to Kansas. “October 15 or something like that. I’ve got a memory like an elephant; it lasts a long time.”

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

ST. LOUIS -- North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Kendall Marshall all said over the past week they weren’t thinking about the NBA, that all their concentration was focused on reaching the Final Four.

But now that they are done with the NCAA tournament, having lost in the Midwest Region final to Kansas on Sunday, they won’t have much time to ponder.

For the past two seasons, underclassmen have had until May 8 to decide whether to leave early for the NBA or return to school. But the NCAA has moved up that deadline until April 10, one week after the Final Four ends and a day before the spring signing period begins.

Henson, for one, doesn’t like it.

“I don’t know the specifics -- I think what, April 9, April 10 is the day you have to decide?” the junior, considered a first-round pick if he leaves early, said recently. “Which is ridiculous, because especially if you’re coming off a championship, your team wins a championship, you can’t even enjoy it. You have to sit down and think about your future, which stinks.

“... I was joking that in about 10 years it will probably be moved up to midseason. It’s a tough rule, but you’ve got to abide by those rules.”

One of the toughest things about the earlier date, as ESPN.com’s Andy Katz reported last week, is that it won’t allow underclassmen to work out for NBA teams before they make their decisions.

The NBA still uses April 29 (instead of the NCAA's April 10) as its early-entry deadline, and won’t release its list of underclassmen for prospective teams until around May 2.

Stu Jackson, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations, told Katz that underclassmen cannot workout for teams until they are notified about who is eligible, via that May 2 list.

"Based on our conversations with various NCAA schools regarding requests for evaluation of our undergraduate committee, we're getting the sense that many schools, players and families are not aware of the new [NCAA] date or its implication," Jackson told Katz. "They think they can work out for NBA teams."

Instead, players can still apply to get feedback from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee, a group of executives representing NBA teams. (The application deadline is the day after the national title game, and the committee responds by April 6.) And a player’s coach can still gather information from NBA GMs, as Roy Williams has done for the Tar Heels in postseasons past.

But that’s about it.

The reason for the change, according to the NCAA, is “to help keep student-athletes focused on academics in the spring term and to give coaches a better idea of their roster for the coming year before the recruiting period is closed.”

But with the conflicting NCAA and NBA dates, it should be noted that nothing (except his relationship with his coach and teammates) keeps a player from saying he will return to school on April 10, only to change his mind in the following 19 days.

ESPN’s Chad Ford currently ranks four UNC underclassmen as first-round draft picks, should they leave early: Barnes at No. 6, reserve freshman forward James Michael McAdoo at No. 8, Henson at No. 15 and Marshall at No. 17. (Senior Tyler Zeller is ranked No. 11.)

Asked about the new declaration date Saturday and whether it is enough time to make an informed decision, Marshall said, “I don’t know. When I start thinking about the NBA, I’ll be able to answer that question further.” Asked if his fractured wrist would have an effect on his decision whether to turn pro, the point guard responded: “The only decision my wrist has an impact [on] is this game [Sunday].” (Marshall missed UNC’s NCAA games against Ohio and Kansas.)

McAdoo, meanwhile, said after Sunday’s loss that he has no timetable to make a decision: "I’m not really thinking about that."

But he’ll have to, and soon.

Williams said he’ll try to get through the process with the underclassmen “pretty quickly. It's what it is. It's our culture. It's not as much fun as getting a guy and coaching him for four years, but it's what it is. We have to handle that.

“I would think that before the end of the week, I would have at least the initial conversations with all of our guys.”

And it will be interesting to see if UNC’s failure to reach the Final Four has any impact on any of their choices.

Barnes -- who reiterated Sunday that he hadn’t been thinking about the draft while playing in the NCAA tournament -- told Fox Sports Florida in February that if his team won the NCAA title, he would not stay in school past his sophomore season. If the Tar Heels didn't win it, he added, his choice was "up in the air."

"The goal is to win a national championship, so, if you do that, it’s a no-brainer," Barnes told Chris Tomasson. "Our goal is just to win the national championship. I feel like this team, if we continue to mature, we have a great shot. And if that happens, then that’s all she wrote."

Henson said Saturday that how far UNC advanced, in his opinion, would have “a great impact on everyone’s decision. Whatever decision I make for the future is hopefully going to be the right one. But the Final Four would make it a lot easier, to say the least.”

Sunday’s loss, then, could make it more difficult.

Especially with such a quick choice to make.

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

North Carolina senior Tyler Zeller was named to The Associated Press' All-America second team on Monday, while point guard teammate Kendall Marshall was named to the third team.

Sophomore Harrison Barnes and junior John Henson were honorable mention selections. The teams:

First team

• Thomas Robinson, Kansas
• Anthony Davis, Kentucky
• Draymond Green, Michigan State
• Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
• Doug McDermott, Creighton

Second team

• Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
• Marcus Denmon, Missouri
• Tyler Zeller, North Carolina
• Jae Crowder, Marquette
• Kevin Jones, West Virginia

Third team

• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky
• Tyshawn Taylor, Kansas
• John Jenkins, Vanderbilt
• Kendall Marshall, North Carolina
• Damian Lillard, Weber State

ST. LOUIS -- If North Carolina had managed to pull out a win Sunday, point guard Kendall Marshall said, maybe he would have been able to return for the Final Four.

But he sat out his second straight game with a fractured right wrist, he said, “because if I did play I wouldn’t have been effective.”

“If I’m just standing off to the side, catching and passing, it was a struggle,’’ he added. “Maybe with three or four more days, maybe I could have helped the team. But I can’t really catch a pass right now.”

Coach Roy Williams said he had some hope after Saturday’s practice that the sophomore point guard -- who fractured his wrist last Sunday, had surgery Monday and had the cast removed Wednesday -- might be able to contribute in the NCAA Regional Final game against Kansas.

“We let him run up and down the court and catch and pass a little bit; and I really got a little excited at that point,’’ Williams said after Sunday’s 80-67 loss to the Jayhawks. “ But I think that it got even sorer last night after just that little activity. We weren't even on the court probably 25 minutes doing anything. At that point during practice I thought he had a chance to go. But last night, I got less confident, and then this morning it just didn't feel right for him.

“You hate that for that kid. You hate it for our program, hate it for our team. But Kendall Marshall is all about winning and is all about team. And if you've ever watched him play, you realize that he's one of those point guards that cares about his team maybe more than anybody I've ever seen. So you hate it for him.”

SWITCHING IT UP: The Tar Heels said they had not seen a triangle-and-two defense all year, so Kansas coach Bill Self’s decision to switch to it in the second half made a big impact.

“I don’t know what they were playing, but they sagged the big man into the lane,’’ forward John Henson said. “And I think that really disoriented our defense. Me and [Tyler Zeller] couldn’t figure it out, and that’s why we’re here right now.”

Small forward Harrison Barnes said that what makes the triangle-and-two so difficult is that there is always “help” defense present. On one play, the sophomore said, he got Jayhawk Travis Releford to bite on a pump fake. But after he had taken one dribble, there was another defender there.

Barnes said the triangle-and-two was not on UNC’s scouting report.

Self said the Jayhawks played that defense the last eight or nine minutes of the game. During the final eight minutes, UNC scored only three points.

WHITE DELIVERS: Freshman point guard Stilman White, who made his second straight start in place of Marshall, was red-eyed after the game, disappointed in the outcome and wondering what more he could have done.

But Williams said he was proud of his former third-string ballhandler who finished with four points, seven assists and zero turnovers.

In two NCAA tournament starts -- the only starts in his career -- White had 13 assists without a turnover.

“My gosh, the little rascal sitting beside of me, Stilman, just competed his rear end off,’’ Williams said after the game. “It wasn't smooth for him because it's hard all of a sudden to be thrust into this role, three practices before this regional. But, boy, he did some really good things, and I just admire him and admire what he did and admire how he competed. And you look down there and he played 28 minutes today and 32 yesterday, that's 60 minutes. And the little rascal had zero turnovers and hadn't been in this position all year.”

BRIEFLY: Williams said he expects he’ll have initial discussions with his players about the NBA draft by the end of the week. … Henson used a pain-relieving shot, and numbing cream, on his still-healing left wrist before the game. He also sprained his right ankle early the game, and never looked quite comfortable playing on it.

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

ST. LOUIS -- It was an eerily familiar scene Sunday: a moist-eyed Harrison Barnes emerging from a long lament under a locker-room towel; talking about what went wrong, the sudden-ness of losing, the disappointment of falling one game short of the Final Four.

A season ago at Newark's Prudential Center, UNC’s loss in the NCAA regional final felt like it could be a beginning – a learning process for a young team that wasn’t supposed to make it that far.

This time, though, the 80-67 crumble to Kansas at the Edward Jones Dome felt like the end – a goodbye from a squad that expected to go so much farther.

“This year, going into this season, we had a lot of weapons,’’ Barnes said. “We just didn’t have them all at the end. That was the most devastating thing. We didn’t have Kendall [Marshall], we didn’t have Dex [Strickland], we didn’t have Leslie [McDonald]. That’s no excuse. We had an opportunity to win it, we just didn’t.”

Even with McDonald and Strickland (shooting guards relegated to the sidelines since last summer and January, respectively, with knee injuries) sitting in the stands -- and Marshall (the starting point guard who missed his second consecutive game with a fractured wrist) on the bench in street clothes -- the Tar Heels looked as if they could do again what they’ve been doing so often the past two seasons: overcome.

With freshman Stilman White playing fearlessly in his second straight start, UNC pushed back from multiple Jayhawks surges. When Kansas made a 7-0 run in the first half to take a 40-33 lead, UNC countered with an 8-0 rally.

When the Jayhawks opened the second half with another 7-0 run, the Tar Heels came back again, this time 6-0.

That’s why, when Barnes went to the free throw line to try to knot the score with 3:58 left, teammate James Michael McAdoo (15 points) wasn’t worried. “I was like, ‘All right, we’re good,’” the freshman forward said.

Except, they weren’t.

Barnes made one of two free throws to cut the Jayhawks’ lead to 68-67 lead. But then a turnover by Tar Heels sophomore Reggie Bullock turned into a 3-pointer by Kansas’ Elijah Johnson. Barnes, then forward John Henson (who played most of the game on a twisted ankle) missed jumpers. And White – who finished with 13 assists and zero turnovers in his two starts in place of Marshall – fouled Tyshawn Taylor for a 3-point play to give the Jayhawks a 74-67 advantage.

That’s when, as coach Roy Williams said, “we panicked a little bit out there.”

Utilizing a triangle-and-two defense – something the Tar Heels hadn’t faced in a game before this season – Kansas finished the game on a 12-0 run.

UNC, meanwhile, misfired on its final seven shots after the Barnes free throw and finished with its worst field goal percentage in a half in NCAA tournament history (7-31, 22.6 percent). The Tar Heels also recorded their worst 3-point percentage in an NCAA tournament game (2-17, 11.8 percent).

Yes, they missed Marshall, a Cousy Award finalist who had been key to calming, and creating for, his teammates.

But the Tar Heels also missed the rebounding advantage they had prided themselves on all season (Kansas beat them on the boards 41-35). And they missed the accuracy of Barnes, their leading scorer who finished 5-for-14 Sunday and 20-for-61 in four NCAA tournament games.

“I missed a lot of shots I usually make and big-time players come through in big-time games,” the sophomore said. “And it just wasn’t there tonight.”

Now the question is, will it ever be again (at least in a UNC uniform)?

Barnes, Henson, Marshall and McAdoo (who are all considered first round NBA draft choices) shrugged off questions about their futures, saying they weren’t thinking about their next steps during the NCAA tournament. So it’s still unknown who or how many will leave along with scholarship seniors Tyler Zeller and Justin Watts; White (who is leaving for a two-year Mormon mission after this semester); and walk-ons David Dupont, Patrick Crouch and Stewart Cooper.

A year ago, after crying under towels in the locker room, Barnes, Henson and Zeller ultimately returned, saying the goal was to win a national title. There was a sense, even before their official decisions were announced, of what could be.

Sunday, there was more disappointment about what might have been.

“We got to this point last year, and we couldn’t get over the hill,’’ said Henson, who playing with a pain shot and numbing cream on his still-healing left wrist. “And this year, the same way. It hurts. But that’s just how basketball is.”

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

ST. LOUIS -- Quick thoughts from Kansas' 80-67 victory over North Carolina in the Elite Eight on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

Overview: Tyshawn Taylor scored 22 points and Thomas Robinson added 18 to lead Kansas to a 13-point victory over North Carolina and a berth in the Final Four. The Jayhawks, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, will take on Ohio State on Saturday night in New Orleans.

This marks the second time in four years that KU has advanced to college basketball's final weekend. The Jayhawks won the NCAA title in 2008. This will also be the second Final Four appearance in Bill Self's career. The Kansas coach was 1-5 in the Elite Eight before Sunday.

Sunday's win came against a North Carolina squad that was playing without All-America point guard Kendall Marshall, who ranks second in the nation in assists with 9.8 per game. Marshall injured his wrist in the round-of-32 victory over Creighton on March 18 and didn't play at all this weekend in St. Louis.

Still, top-seeded North Carolina gave KU all it could handle until the game's final few minutes, when a 3-pointer by Elijah Johnson stretched the Jayhawks' lead to 71-67 and ignited a 12-0, game-ending run.

The score was tied 47-47 after a first half that saw UNC make 63 percent of its shots from the field, with KU hitting 56 percent.

James Michael McAdoo had a team-high 15 points for North Carolina, which ends its season 32-6.

Turning point: Johnson's 3-pointer was the spark in KU's finishing kick, but the shot was hardly the only heroic moment of the march. A few possessions later, Taylor came up with a steal and raced down the court on a fast-break. He was fouled hard while attempting a layup but somehow hung in the air, double-clutched and scored. He converted the 3-point play to make it 74-67 with 1:59 remaining. North Carolina never threatened again.

Key player: Taylor's 22 points came on 10-of-19 shooting. He also had 5 assists and 5 steals. Robinson made just 6 of his 16 shots, but he grabbed 9 boards and helped KU out-rebound a UNC squad that features three future lottery picks down low in McAdoo, Tyler Zeller and John Henson. Jeff Withey's three blocks and overall presence was also a big factor for Kansas.

Key stat: North Carolina was just 2-of-17 from 3-point range. The Tar Heels shot just 22.6 percent overall in the second half.

Up next: Kansas' game against Ohio State on Saturday will mark the second time the Jayhawks and Buckeyes have played this season. KU won the first meeting 78-67 in Lawrence, but standout Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger didn't play because of back spasms.

ST. LOUIS -- The worry over Kendall Marshall’s wrist continues.

The concern over Harrison Barnes’ shot does not.

Although top-seeded North Carolina doesn’t know if its starting point guard will miss his second straight game Sunday because of a fractured right wrist, the team is confident that its starting small forward -- who made only 3 of 16 shots Friday, with Marshall out -- will play well.

“We’re not worried about Harrison,’’ senior forward Tyler Zeller said. “… He’s got the mindset that, even if he’s missed 15 shots, he can make the next 15. When he gets going, he gets going. He can score a lot of points very quickly, and we just wait for that moment, and hope it happens.”

They probably need it to happen in the NCAA Midwest Region final against No. 2 seed Kansas, especially if Marshall is out.

The Tar Heels got just about all they could out of Zeller (20 points, 22 rebounds) and Reggie Bullock (17 points, 10 rebounds) against Ohio on Friday. John Henson added a double-double, and freshman point guard Stilman White, making his first collegiate start, performed better than expected: six assists, zero turnovers.

And the 13th-seeded Bobcats still took them to overtime.

If Marshall is a scratch, that leaves the biggest bounce-back growth possibility to Barnes, who admits he had a “poor game,” but tried to make up for it with two late-game stints.

First, with about three minutes left, he buried a free throw then hit a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound to tie the score at 57. Then -- after missing a game-winning shot at the end of regulation -- he scored five points in overtime to help his team survive elimination.

In three NCAA tournament games, he’s still made only 15 of 47 shots, including 6 of 18 3-point attempts.

But he’s not worried. Part of his makeup -- the calm and confidence that has made him clutch for the Tar Heels over so many games -- is that he’s willing to keep shooting.

Especially in big situations -- like the upcoming one Sunday.

“I judge my good and bad games by wins and losses,’’ he said. “I do whatever I can to win the game; that’s what I’m defined by. Individual stats -- obviously, if I’m not putting up 30, 10 and 10, I’m probably going to get some criticism. But you just have to go out there and play to win, and as long as my team wins, everything’s going to be all right.”

KANSAS-UNC SERIES? Williams said he would not be open to a Kansas-UNC home-and-home series. But Jayhawks coach Bill Self wouldn’t mind seeing the teams play more often.

“I understand why we don't, if we don't. But I certainly think that it would be a great, great series,’’ Self said. “… Certainly neither place has a hard time selling out, but we could certainly raise the price of season tickets a couple bucks.”

Williams, though, said it would be “too emotional” for him to play at Allen Fieldhouse, considering he used to coach the Jayhawks there and has so many positive memories.

“I don't want to go in there as the coach of the opposing team,’’ he said.

INJURY (BESIDES MARSHALL) REPORT: Reggie Bullock, who left Friday’s game for a couple of minutes in the second half after his left knee buckled, said Saturday he is feeling fine.

“It was basically just a player tried to box me out and he just came to my knee level and [it] just buckled back,’’ said Bullock, who scored 12 of his 17 points after halftime. “ It just scared me a little bit because I was just thinking, I hope it's not another time for me to not be able to play. But I just kept my confidence high and just hoped for the best, and it just worked out.”

Meanwhile, Henson continues to wear a wrap on his previously sprained left wrist, which caused him to miss three postseason games. He said it continues to feel better.

And Williams, who had a couple of dizzy spells during Friday’s game, was healthier Saturday, as well.

“After the game I had a little headache, not bad,’’ Williams said. “I got something to eat, feel great today. I just wish I would get over this dadgum sore throat is the bottom line.”

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.