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Last season, the Heels (29-8, 14-2 ACC) started a bit slowly but seemed to take off when point guard Kendall Marshall became the starter. UNC went on to win the outright ACC regular-season title thanks to season-closing win over archival Duke. North Carolina became the first team in league history to win the ACC regular-season title outright a year after finishing below .500 in league play. It was the fifth time since 2005 that North Carolina has won at least a share of the ACC regular-season title and the 28th time overall.

The Dukies got their revenge – to take the season series 2-1 – in the ACC Championship Game, but UNC advanced further than Duke in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Elite Eight before falling to Kentucky 76-69.

The scary part of UNC is that all five starters are back: Marshall, fellow guard Dexter Strickland and big men John Henson, Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes. The latter was named a preseason All-American before he ever played and he started slowly, but Barnes finished averaging 15.7 points per game. Henson, Zeller and Barnes all could have gone pro and all three would have been drafted – Henson and Barnes in the first round for sure – but all three returned for a shot at that championship. And as usual UNC will welcome a terrific freshman class led by James McAdoo and P.J. Hairston.

North Carolina opens its season in grand style: Against fellow power Michigan State on the USS Carl Vinson in the inaugural Carrier Classic on Nov. 11.

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