Tar Heels picked as preseason ACC favorite

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With five starters back from a team that came within minutes of reaching the Final Four, North Carolina is starting a season of high expectations as a big favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Tar Heels were picked to finish first on 57 of 59 ballots from media members during Wednesday's ACC Operation Basketball event and had the top three vote-getters on the all-ACC preseason team, including unanimous pick and ACC player of the year Harrison Barnes.

It wasn't a surprise that the Tar Heels were such a big favorite. They won 29 games and the ACC regular-season title before falling a game short of the Final Four by losing to Kentucky in a game that was tied less than 3½ minutes left. Barnes opted to return to school for his sophomore season over becoming a high first-round NBA draft pick, while fellow all-ACC picks John Henson and Tyler Zeller also passed on an early jump to the NBA in favor of another run at the national championship.

North Carolina is the first team to have three players chosen to the preseason all-ACC squad since Duke with Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy before the 2001-02 season. It also marked the fifth time in six years the Tar Heels were at least tied for first in the preseason ballot.

"We should be good this year. I have no problem with saying that," UNC coach Roy Williams said. "I'd rather be picked No. 1 than I had 346th."

Barnes struggled to live up to high expectations early in his freshman season, getting off to a slow start as the Tar Heels looked lost in January. But Barnes got rolling with a series of clutch late-game shooting performances as the Tar Heels won 17 of 19 to end the regular season and chase down Duke for the ACC crown.

Barnes, a 6-foot-8 forward, finished a point behind Zeller for the team scoring lead and averaged 15.7 points. He seems far more relaxed with all the attention and expectations a year later.

"My biggest thing is just going out there and playing consistently," Barnes said. "I definitely have a bigger chip on my shoulder after last year, losing to Kentucky and being so close to the Final Four. Right now I'm just hungry and ready to go."