Reggie Bullock will have to become a go-to player for North Carolina to reach its potential this season. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — I’ll be making the drive to Charlotte early Wednesday morning for the ACC’s annual basketball media day. We’ll hear from some of the league’s players. We’ll hear from all of the league’s coaches. And members of the media will try to predict how the teams will finish.

Here’s what my preseason ballot will look like:

UNC will rely on freshmen J.P. Tokoto, Joel James, Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — The ACC earlier today released the results of its first-ever ACC preseason men’s basketball coaches poll. The league’s coaches selected North Carolina to finish third, behind N.C. State and Duke. The Tar Heels received one first-place vote.

The ACC will host its annual basketball media day on Wednesday in Charlotte. The conference will then release the predicted order of finish from media members who cover the league.

In the meantime, here are the results of the coaches poll: 

UNC coach Roy Williams said on Thursday he plans to coach another six to 10 years. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — Roy Williams didn’t know what a bucket list was until the movie bearing the same name came out in 2007. Williams still hasn’t seen it. But he has thought in recent days and weeks about his own bucket list – about things he’d like to do before his time is up.

UNC coach Roy Williams on Wednesday had a biopsy on a tumor on his left kidney. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Roy Williams on Wednesday underwent a biopsy to determine the pathology of a tumor on his left kidney, Tar Heels basketball spokesman Steve Kirschner said.

Williams, 62, already has endured one surgery to remove a tumor on his right kidney. Doctors performed that procedure on Sept. 19 at UNC Hospitals and they determined that the tumor was an oncocytoma, a benign tumor of that is often indistinguishable from kidney cancer on x-rays. Those tumors do not spread.

CHAPEL HILL — The tumor that doctors removed last week from Roy Williams’ right kidney is not malignant, North Carolina announced today.

Williams, who is preparing to enter his 10th season as the Tar Heels basketball coach, underwent surgery on Sept. 19. Doctors determined the tumor to be an oncocytoma, which is a benign tumor of the kidney that, according to UNC, “is often indistinguishable from kidney cancer on x-rays.”

Late Night With Roy is set for Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — Doesn’t seem like all that long ago that I was in a locker room in St. Louis, conducting interviews after North Carolina’s final game of the 2011-12 season. And now the 2012-13 season is upon us. That’s especially clear now, after UNC announced the details of Late Night With Roy.

As I’m sure you know, Late Night is the Tar Heels’ annual celebration of the start of basketball practice. It’s also an excuse, I’m told, to watch Roy Williams partake in some skits and a bit of fun. Here’s hoping his recent surgery won’t hamper any of that.

The details for the 2012 version of Late Night With Roy:

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Roy Williams has been released from UNC Hospitals, one day after he underwent a three-and-a-half hour operation to remove a tumor from his right kidney.

UNC announced Williams’ release in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

UNC coach Roy Williams called a team meeting at 10 p.m. on Tuesday to inform the Tar Heels of his impending surgery. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — Another dramatic day in Chapel Hill – and one that helped put other recent dramatic days into perspective. North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams underwent surgery on Wednesday morning to remove a tumor from his right kidney.

Here’s the final day-one story that I wrote. As you’ll see, Williams called a 10 p.m. meeting on Tuesday to inform his players that he’d need surgery. It was a quiet meeting, said Steve Robinson, Williams’ longtime assistant. During the meeting, Williams was the only one who spoke, said Reggie Bullock, the Tar Heels’ junior guard.

There are some questions at this point for which we don’t have answers. Questions like:

UNC coach Roy Williams underwent surgery on Wednesday to remove a tumor from his right kidney. ROBERT WILLETT

North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams underwent surgery on Wednesday morning to remove a tumor from his right kidney, according to the university.

Steve Kirschner, a UNC athletic department spokesman, said it was not yet known whether the tumor is malignant. Kirschner said it could be a week or more before doctors make that determination.

Williams might have to undergo another surgery next month, but he is not expected to miss any time once the regular season begins in mid-November. 

James Michael McAdoo and UNC begin the season on Nov. 9 against Gardner-Webb. ETHAN HYMAN

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina on Monday released its 2012-13 basketball schedule. It includes, of course, trips to Maui, Indiana and Texas and, for the first time, 18 ACC games.

After taking some time to evaluate the schedule, here are some initial thoughts: