The 2020-21 college basketball season is almost here. Those are words every fan has been waiting to hear, especially those in North Carolina.

The Tar Heels last took the floor on March 11 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, suffering a lopsided defeat to Syracuse in Greensboro capping off a dismal 14-19 campaign . Combine that with the nightmare that has been COVID-19, and it is no wonder that Carolina Nation is ready to get its mind off the real world via its favorite past time.

As we get closer the pre-season necessities are coming out. Early this week, UNC came in at No. 16 in the first Associated Press poll and the Tar Heels' regular season schedule was finally released.

For numbers nerds like me, add the initial KenPom ratings and you have a trifecta. North Carolina begins the season at No. 23 according to Pomeroy with an Adjusted Efficiency Margin of +19.75.

KenPom as made AEM's for every Division One program, and has even issued predictions for sixteen of the team's 27 games. So, Tar Heel Illustrated decided to crunch the numbers to see what Pomeroy's expectations are for this season's team.