Now that the season is over for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the conjecture begins regarding whether a group of underclassmen return. Many believe Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Kendall Marshall and even freshman James Michael McAdoo will turn pro.

Because the NBA seems to be drafting on potential these days, it could be true. But, for me, there would be two questions I would have to ask myself if I were them. First, do I want a slew of money now or would I have a better chance of being a very good NBA player if I stay? And, second, am I enjoying college enough to want to continue the experience or am I ready to get out into the (un)real world?

I was surprised to hear some comments on the topic by former Tar Heel national champion Eric Montross, now a color commentator on the Tar Heel sports network. He said that underclassmen who do make the leap to the NBA do so and succeed because they dominate on the collegiate level. “Our underclassmen don’t dominate on the collegiate level,” he said.

I thought David Martin of The Bleacher Report had an interesting scenario where he could possibly see all the Tar Heels coming back for one more NCAA title run. He wrote, “say Marshall comes out tomorrow and says, ‘I’m back, back for good. I’m staying four years at UNC and—while I realize my teammates each need to do what’s best for them—I hope they come back to do what we should have done this year.’

“Call me crazy, but I can see his fun-loving partner in crime and major beneficiary of his distributive talents John Henson coming along for the ride. All of a sudden, that’s starting to look like a high-caliber team. Marshall and incoming freshman PG Marcus Paige, Leslie McDonald and Dexter Strickland returning from injury, Reggie Bullock coming into his own and John Henson patrolling the paint?

“And perhaps that deep, talented squad looks appealing to the competitor in Harrison Barnes, who knows something will be missing so long as his resume lacks that NCAA Championship. And those 28 minutes per game Zeller played? All yours, James Michael. Come show what you can do with the role you carved out at the end of the year.

“Far-fetched? Probably. If I had to guess, I think only Marshall returns to Chapel Hill in the fall. But Kendall might also represent the only hope—as is the case on the court—at bringing the guys together and putting together one more run.”