Coach: Roy Williams (11th season, 282-79 at UNC; 700-180 overall)

2012-13 record: 25-11 (12-6 ACC, third)

Postseason: NCAA tournament, 1-1 (beat Villanova, lost to Kansas)

Projected starting lineup: PG Marcus Paige, G P.J. Hairston, G Leslie McDonald, F James Michael McAdoo, F Isaiah Hicks

Plus

• P.J. Hairston and James Michael McAdoo both decided to return for the 2013-14 season. By the end of the 2012-13 season, Hairston developed into the best player on the team, averaging 18.2 points over the final 13 games.

To give you an idea of the strides Hairston, a scoring guard, made from his freshman to sophomore seasons, he made 13 3-pointers (in 27 attempts) in three ACC tournament games in 2013. As a freshman, Hairston made eight 3-pointers during the *entire* conference season.

During a radio interview on Friday, UNC coach Roy Williams said Reggie Bullock, P.J. Hairston and James Michael McAdoo are enjoying college and are hungry to do more. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina is still awaiting word on whether Reggie Bullock, P.J. Hairston and James Michael McAdoo will return to school or forego their eligibility to enter the NBA draft. But Tar Heels coach Roy Williams during a radio interview on Friday provided some optimism that all might return to UNC.

Speaking with Taylor Zarzour on WFNZ in Charlotte, Williams said “it’s still up in the air,” whether Bullock, Hairston and McAdoo would return.

“But we're much much closer to having all of them back than we were last year,” Williams said.

North Carolina was a good shooting team during the 2012-13 season, but consistent scoring in the post eluded the Tar Heels. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — You might recall that before North Carolina’s season-opener against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 9, I posted a list of 10 questions that surrounded the Tar Heels at the start of the season. You can read those 10 questions right here.

Little by little, UNC provided answers to those 10 questions as the season progressed. And now, with the season complete, those answers are final. So here goes – the questions that surrounded UNC then, and the answers to those questions now, with the season already a memory:

North Carolina coach Roy Williams says he was "confused" by NCAA tournament selection show. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Roy Williams was “stunned” when he learned that the Tar Heels would be a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament, he said on Tuesday. UNC, the eighth seed in the South Region, will play against No. 9 Villanova on Friday in Kansas City.

The winner likely gets to play Kansas, the region’s top seed, on Sunday. Williams coached at Kansas for 15 seasons before returning to his alma mater in 2003.

I have a full story coming about Williams’ comments, but here he is, in his own words, about UNC’s seeding:

Roy Williams in January defended his decision to lead his team -- most of it, anyway -- off the court in the final seconds of a loss at Florida State. ROBERT WILLETT

Court-rushings in college basketball have become a national topic today after Duke coach Mike Kzyzewski last night expressed concern for his player’s safety following the Blue Devils’ lost at Virginia. After time expired, Cavaliers’ fans rushed the court and wild scene ensued.

You’ll remember that North Carolina coach Roy Williams has been at the center of court-rushing controversy, too. Here’s a look back at how Williams’ decision to leave the court in the final seconds of a lopsided loss at Florida State a season ago. Near the year anniversary of that loss, Williams was still defending that decision …

Three Points from N.C. State's 76-65 loss at UNC:

1) C.J. Leslie, period.

Mark Gottfried tried benching C.J. Leslie and he tried letting him play through his problems on Saturday at the Smith Center.

Since he was hired 22 months ago, Gottfried has run through just about every option in the coach-player relationship handbook with Leslie. Gottfried calls Leslie "Calvin" instead of C.J., he has made him the primary option of the offense, he has coddled him and he has disciplined him.

For the most part, he has coaxed the best out of Leslie, who has led the team in scoring over the course of Gottfried's 64-game tenure.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams didn't want to go small, necessarily, but he acknowledged it has provided the Tar Heels with their best chance to win. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — If you haven’t already be sure to give this column from colleague Luke DeCock a read. As he writes, North Carolina coach Roy Williams is uncomfortable, in some aspects, with the Tar Heels’ small lineup.

It’s a new thing for Williams, going small with a four-guard lineup that includes P.J. Hairston, Reggie Bullock, Dexter Strickland and Marcus Paige. Williams has built his offense, and much of his coaching success, on a traditional lineup of big guys who can score and rebound down low, smaller guys who can shoot and drive on the perimeter, and a point guard who can tie the whole package together.

Dexter Strickland on Tuesday reminded North Carolina coach Roy Williams of the Strickland of old. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Roy Williams said on Friday that Dexter Strickland played his best game in a while during the Tar Heels’ 82-70 victory against Boston College on Tuesday night. But not because Strickland scored 14 points and made a pair of jump shots.

UNC coach Roy Williams wanted to see more hustle out of P.J. Hairston on Saturday at N.C. State. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — P.J. Hairston has been inconsistent thoughout his sophomore season at North Carolina. But he has been consistently good, at least offensively, during the Tar Heels’ past two games.

In addition to being for a good cause, these Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge commercials are actually pretty funny.

This one stars N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried and UNC's Roy Williams, and the voiceover is done by Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.

And unless, there was some serious high-tech editing (which is possible), it also appears that Gottfried and Williams actually got together to film the commercial (unlike the old "Guitar Hero" ad with Krzyzewski and Williams.)

There's more information on the Coaches' Charity Challenge at this web site.