Yes.   We don’t know what the hell that late January loss down in Miami was.  Nonetheless, this Tar Heel team keeps creeping around the 10th overall AP-ranking.  But this team is not much different from the squad that was one shot short of winning the 2016 national title.  Yes, they lost Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson from last season.  However, Paige was gone to injury for long stretches of last season, and Nate Britt and Joel Berry stepped up to carry the load.  We think the true UNC team is the one that beat up on a surging Florida State team in mid-January.  The increased playing time of former McDonald’s All-American, Isaiah Hicks, gives UNC a different dynamic down load with some lane-stuffers (he, Maye and Meeks).   Theo Pinson, now a junior, adds a punch off the bench with a full court style that thrives in the freedom of movement era.

The Crosstown Shoutout was a perfect example of the type of season the Musketeers are having.  Trevon Bluiett was red hot, making 10 of his first 10 shots.  Bluiett finished with 40 points, but Xavier still lost by 8 to Cincinnati.  Although Xavier has scoring punch in Bluiett, it misses the steady point guard play of Myles Davis, who left the program following a suspension.  To add insult to injury, Edmond Summer is out for the season with a torn ACL.  Xavier also obviously misses the intense play of Jalen Reynolds (now playing in Italy) on the inside.  Xavier just does not appear to have the versatility and balance that it had enjoyed over the past 5 or so years.  For that reason, we are flagging Xavier as a candidate for an upset round 1 of the NCAA Tournament.