The lowdown
2000-01 record: 26-7; 13-3 in ACC (1st)
Final Ranking: No. 10 ESPN/USA Today; No. 6 AP
Postseason: Lost to Penn State in second round of NCAA Tournament.
Three Questions for 2001-02
1. What's going to happen at the point? Is it Adam Boone or Brian Morrison? Ronald Curry is essentially out of the picture. Can Melvin Scott play some point to help ease the problem? Will Boone and Morrison play with more consistency?
2. Who is going to be the team's go-to scorer? Will it be Jason Capel, now that Joseph Forte is gone? Can it be Capel? Will it be Scott, Jawad Williams or Jackie Manuel?
3. Is there enough frontcourt depth? Can Brian Bersticker and Kris Lang stay healthy? Will the Tar Heels get anything out of Neil Fingleton? Do they have enough scoring potential?
Three Key Facts
1. Matt Doherty's first recruiting class kept UNC's tradition for getting the best preps in the country alive. The three freshman arriving this season at Chapel Hill all ranked among ESPN.com's top 60 in the nation: Jawad Williams (No. 30); Jackie Manuel (No. 39) and Melvin Scott (No. 57).
2. Jason Capel ranked 5th in the ACC in 3-point shooting accuracy last season, hitting on 43.3 percent of his shots behind the arc.
3. Dean Smith agreed to a new contract as a North Carolina consultant, receiving a salary of $9,200 that will match his pay from his first year as the Tar Heels' coach in 1961. Athletic director Dick Baddour said Smith suggested the salary during discussions on a contract that expires at the end of this July.
Andy Katz's Scenarios
Best case: The Tar Heels' freshmen are able to stand up and be leaders. If that's the case, and Capel and Lang are good enough to be go-to players, then the Tar Heels can stay in third and be a lock for the tournament.
Worst case: The freshmen don't contribute (enough), Capel and Lang can't handle the pressure, and the Tar Heels slip to the bottom tier of the ACC, as far as sixth.
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Key Players Returning
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Player
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Yr.
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Pos.
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Ht./Wt.
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Comment
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Jason Capel
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Sr.
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G
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6-8/224
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PTS: 11.4 | REB: 7.3 | AST: 3.4
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Kris Lang
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Sr.
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F
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6-11/243
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PTS: 11.3 | REB: 5.7 | AST: 0.7
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Brian Morrison
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So.
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G
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6-2/175
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PTS: 3.0 | REB: 1.1 | AST: 1.2
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Adam Boone
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So.
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G
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6-2/182
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PTS: 1.5 | REB: 0.9 | AST: 1.4
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Key Losses
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Player
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Pos.
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Ht./Wt.
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Comment
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Joe Forte
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G
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6-4/185
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PTS: 20.9 | REB: 6.1 | AST: 3.5
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Brendan Haywood
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C
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7-0/264
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PTS: 12.3 | REB: 7.3 | AST: 1.3
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Julius Peppers
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F
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6-6/280
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PTS: 7.1 | REB: 4.0 | AST: 0.8
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Ronald Curry
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G
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6-2/200
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PTS: 5.5 | REB: 3.4 | AST: 4.2
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Max Owens
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G
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6-5/198
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PTS: 5.7 | REB: 1.4 | AST: 0.9
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North Carolina Signings
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Player
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Pos.
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Ht.
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High School/College
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Jackie Manuel
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G
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6-5
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Ft. Lauderdale-Cardinal Newman (Fla.)
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Jawad Williams
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F
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6-9
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Lakewood-St Edwards (Ohio)
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Melvin Scott
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G
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6-1
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Baltimore-Baltimore Southern (Md.)
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