ESPN College GameDay crew debate whether North Carolina can win national title in 2024

The ESPN College GameDay crew focused on the North Carolina Tar Heels for a segment this morning, debating whether the team is good enough to win a national title this season.

First, Jay Williams explained it’s the tale of two teams for the Tar Heels in his opinion, and whether or not they achieve their ultimate goal will depend on which North Carolina team shows up when the chips are in the center of the table.

“I have no idea. I don’t have a pulse on which North Carolina team is going to show up,” Williams explained. “I watch games and I say, ‘Okay, that’s a team that can win a national championship when they’re at their best,’ and then we saw them against Clemson, we were like, ‘What team is this?’

“So I get very confused at which one is actually going to be ready to play through Armando Bacot, and actually make shots on the perimeter.”

As for Seth Greenberg, he’s worried about North Carolina’s defense, but he believes their veteran leadership and clutch ability will come in handy later this season.

“I think the big question about North Carolina is the games that they’ve lost, they haven’t defended the way they were earlier in the season. If they get back to that defensive identity, offensively, they’re not the transition team they used to be, but they can score inside-out. They’ve got a guy who can win a game at the end of a game in a big game in RJ Davis. A city guard, and you need a city guard to lead the team,” Greenberg stated. “So I think if they can get back to guarding, they can be a national title contender.”

Finally, Jay Bilas stated his belief that this isn’t the North Carolina teams of old, as they rely on their defensive prowess, but that’s not a detriment to their chances moving forward.

“That’s the issue, is their championship identity is based on defense, and their defense is what influences their offense,” Bilas stated. “They get to the free throw line a ton, but their defense sets them up to attack. Attack in transition. But I think the defense first thing, and that’s not always what I thought of North Carolina in the past.

“You were afraid of their transition game, offensive rebounding, all these things, but this year you’re going, ‘Man, it’s defense first.’ When they don’t bring that in a particular game, it makes it really difficult.”

Alas, North Carolina is among the top teams in the nation, but they’re going to have to get back to the ball they were playing earlier this season if they’re to win a title. Time will tell if they’re able to do so.