A Familiar Squeaking Sound

    It's that time of year again. Thousands of college basketball players across the country are lacing up their sneakers and preparing to battle on the hardwood.
    Friday is the first day with a full slate on action in the young season. In the most-anticipated of these early-season battles, North Carolina faces Michigan St. on a ship for the inaugural Carrier Classic. The top-ranked Tar Heels face a stiff test against a Spartans team that advanced to the Final Four last season before losing to Butler, 52-50. Tom Izzo will have his team prepared to take on the number one team in the country and the game should be exciting.
    The Tar Heels return a trio of exciting future NBA players in Tyler Zeller, John Henson, and Harrison Barnes. As soon as all three players decided to return to Chapel Hill for another season, the Tar Heels quickly became a favorite to win a national championship.
     Barnes is seen as a potential national player of the year candidate after showing glimpses of his potential in the ACC tournament last year. Henson is widely considered to be one of the best defenders in college basketball and Zeller has reminded fans of another player named Tyler now playing in the NBA who was a force at the collegiate level.
     For the Spartans, a new leader will have to emerge after losing leading scorer Kalin Lucas to graduation. Lucas has the ability to change a game by himself, scoring in double figures in each of his four seasons in East Lansing. The Spartans also lost guard Korie Lucious after he transferred to Iowa State after his junior season. Lucious led the Spartans with 4.1 assists per game last season.
     Aside from the teams, the atmosphere of the game will create an exciting element. Playing on a makeshift court outdoors might have an effect on the play early in the game as players adjust. The game may have the feel of a Cameron Indoor Stadium with limited seating and a close to the court environment. While it will be near impossible for the game to live up to the immense hype surrounding it, these teams will create an exciting forty minutes of basketball to kick off the season.