Top-ranked Tar Heels host Quakers in season opener
Sports Network | November 15, 2008
Chapel Hill, NC (Sports Network) - The much-anticipated season opener in Chapel Hill will finally take place this afternoon, as the top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels hit the Smith Center floor against the Penn Quakers.
Roy Williams' team enters the season as the heavy favorite to win the national championship and with good reason, as the team returns just about everybody from a Final Four team that won a school-record 36 games a year ago, including National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough.
Glen Miller took over the job at Penn in 2006-07 and led the Quakers to a 22- win season and a 13-1 mark in the Ivy League. Last season however, the team took a nose-dive and finished just 13-18 overall, including an 8-6 mark in the Ancient Eight.
This is the third straight season that the Quakers and Tar Heels will have met and the eighth time overall. The Tar Heels own a 5-2 edge in the series and have dominated the last two meetings, a 102-64 victory on January 3, 2007 in Chapel Hill and a 106-71 rout on December 4, 2007 in Philadelphia.
After winning three straight Ivy titles, the Quakers slipped to third place last season (8-6) and five games under .500 overall. However, with the return of four starters and several key reserves, Miller could have this program back on track. Tyler Bernardini will surely be the focal point after a great rookie campaign last season. The 6-6 Bernardini ranked second on the team in scoring with 12.9 ppg, earning him the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award. Jack Eggleston, a 6-8 forward (8.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg) and Harrison Gaines, a 6-0 guard (6.7 ppg and 3.6 apg), are two more players that are expected to improve on successful freshman campaigns. The Quakers should also receive a boost from the return of forward Tommy McMahon and guard Darren Smith, who both missed last season due to injury. Guard Zack Rosen is a heralded recruit and should make an immediate impact for the Quakers, who seem reloaded and poised for a big season.
Although the Tar Heels return almost all of their talent from a year ago, that doesn't mean that everyone is available for this contest. In fact, the team was already without the services of Marcus Ginyard and Mike Copeland and now appears to be going without Hansbrough and Bobby Frasor. Of course, the real concern is the loss of Hansbrough, who is less than 100-percent with a leg injury, although it is not supposed to be a lengthy absence. Last season, Hansbrough averaged a double-double (career-highs of 22.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg) and the scary thing is, those numbers could get better this time around. There is a full complementary cast returning as well, including one of the nation's premiere backcourts in Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington. The 5-11 Lawson is a top-notch point guard, with the ability to both score (12.7 ppg) and distribute (165 assists last season). Ellington is the team's sharp-shooter, coming off a season in which he netted 16.6 ppg. Swingman Danny Green (11.5 ppg) emerged last year as a viable scoring option as well and looks to elevate his game this season. Role players are plentiful, with players like Deon Thompson, Marcus Ginyard, Bobby Frasor and Will Graves providing depth. The team also has some talented newcomers in freshmen Ed Davis (6-10, 220) and Tyler Zeller (7-0, 220), who should support Hansbrough down low and will actually gain valuable minutes early on with Hansbrough out of the lineup.
