North Carolina basketball is back in season as the Tar Heels take on Fayetteville State at home Friday night in an exhibition match.

The Tar Heels are currently No. 6 in the 2014-15 preseason coaches’ poll, marking the 40th preseason top-10 ranking by the coaches.

That high ranking comes with the return of an impressive roster, led by junior Marcus Paige, who was named top point guard in the nation for the 2013-14 season by ESPN.com among a host of other honors. Paige will be joined at the point guard position by sophomore returner Nate Britt and freshman Joel Berry.

UNC’s front court is looking stronger this season, and much slimmer. Sophomore Kennedy Meeks made national attention this offseason by losing almost 50 pounds since stepping on campus in 2013, and fans are looking forward to see just how much the change will impact his game.

Carolina can expect improvement in another sophomore big-man, Isaiah Hicks, who was the star of a weekend exhibition trip to the Bahamas in mid-August. Hicks tallied a combined 32 points shooting 14-23 in two games. In 2013-2014, Hicks averaged just 1.2 points and 1 rebound per contest.

Fayetteville State finished with a 19-10 record in last year’s campaign and is predicted to finish third in the CIAA Southern Division this season. Senior forward Torian Showers averaged 9.1 points for the Broncos, scoring at 44.5% from the field alongside sophomore guard Josh Dawson, who averaged 9.4 points and 5.1 assists per game. Dawson is also the nephew of former Tar Heel player Jerry Stackhouse.

Carolina will host another exhibition game against Belmont Abbey on Friday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m.

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