A casual observer to the basketball scene would probably have thought Kyrie Irving could use a little more seasoning after playing just 11 games, mostly in the early season, for Duke. With John Henson having been considered a possible one-and-done player when he arrived at Carolina, and his having played two seasons for the Tar Heels, that observer might have thought he would be a better candidate to turn pro.

Without the age requirement of the NBA, Irving probably would have simply gone pro before going to Duke. Henson, on the other hand, had some work to do on his game and some meat to add to his bones and some toughness to gain on the court. He still does and he made the right decision to return. As a result, even if Duke’s incoming recruits turns out to include highly touted forward DeAndre Daniels, the Tar Heels should be the prohibitive favorite to win the ACC.

Tyler Zeller also announced this week that he will come back for his senior year. If Harrison Barnes, who many expect to turn pro, comes back Carolina will almost certainly start next season as the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

Barnes doesn’t strike me as a one-and-done player but money certainly talks. His stock is fairly high but remember he only showed a few flashes of brilliance until late in the season when things jelled.

The addition of Kendall Marshall as the point guard certainly helped with that. As long as Marshall stays healthy next season, whether or not Barnes comes back, the Tar Heels have a good chance of making the Final Four.

Carolina only loses senior Justin Knox, who played just one solid role-player season as a transfer. Duke on the other hand loses its three best players – Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Irving.

The Tar Heels also expect to have shooting guard Reggie Bullock back healthy after sitting out much of the year with an injured knee. Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald will be back as experienced juniors. And, the Heels bring in two of the most highly ranked players in the country in freshmen shooting guard P.J. Hairston and power forward James McAdoo, who will undoubtedly step into the role (and more) occupied by Knox this year.

Duke will certainly challenge the Heels but the Devils will be much younger with highly rated shooting guard Austin Rivers, point guard Quinn Cook and 6-foot-6 forward Michael Gbinije either starting or seeing a lot of playing time. All three are 5-star recruits.