UNC Basketball: Late Night with Roy preview

Late Night with Roy is finally upon us. Here is everything you need to know about Friday night.

Late Night with Roy has long been the season opening event for the Tar Heels, and it is finally among us.

The event is normally a celebration of the basketball season we are about to embark on, but this year will be different.

On Friday,  the Tar Heels will introducing their 2017-2018 team but they will also be celebrating its 2017 National Title team, by dropping the banner!

We have already given you all the basics about Late Night with Roy, but now we are going to go a little more in-depth.

From the recruits, the festivities, and the scrimmage, there are plenty of things to talk about for this Friday.

We are going to tell you everything you need to know about Late Night with Roy 2017!

Recruits in attendance

For probably the biggest night of the year for the Heels, they will have their biggest recruit in town.

According to Inside Carolina, consensus top-five player, Romeo Langford, will be in attendance for Late Night. This will be Langford’s official visit to UNC.

It is looking like Langford will be the Heels prized recruit for the 2018 class, seeing how the Heels are likely out of the running for Zion Williamson.

Langford will not be the only big time recruit in attendance for the Heels.

Inside Carolina has also reported that Wendell Moore will be in attendance on Friday. Moore has become a consistent visitor to Chapel Hill, and many have speculated that Moore could be the next player to commit to UNC.

Rechon Black also announced via his own Twitter account that he will be taking his official visit for Late Night.

I will be taking my official visit to UNC the weekend of Late Night w Roy on Oct. 13th 😬😬 pic.twitter.com/zI7JLUuuhV

— Leaky❗️ (@RechonBlack) September 15, 2017

As you know, Black is already a Tar Heel commit, and has been a very active recruiter for the Heels since he committed.

And finally, Inside Carolina reported Coby White will make his official visit for Late Night.

White, who has recently surged up the rankings, has been committed to the Heels for a while now. We are now counting down the days till we get Rechon Black and Coby White in the same back court!

The Scrimmage

Normally the highlight of Late Night with Roy is the scrimmage.

This year, not so much, but the scrimmage will still be fun to watch to see who has already developed chemistry.

We all know about the familiar faces: Theo Pinson, Joel Berry, and Luke Maye. But tomorrow will introduce us to all the new faces.

The lineups have not been released, but a few players that Heels fans should be excited to see are Cam Johnson, Jalek Felton, and Garrison Brooks.

Johnson and Felton are expected to be huge contributors to the offense this year. They both could start, and both average ten points per game. Also, throughout early practice, Jon Rothstein said that Brooks has been the most impressive young big man.

An early theme out of North Carolina: Garrison Brooks has been impressive with his IQ and feel. Could be most advanced of Heels' young bigs.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 2, 2017

Brooks appears to be the most polished of the freshman big men, but tomorrow could give us a clearer view of that.

Jon Rothstein recently reported via Twitter that Kenny Williams was recently cleared for all basketball activities. Despite that, I would not expect Williams to participate in the scrimmage Friday night.

Friday’s scrimmage should be an early gauge of how well this young Tar Heel team is meshing so far.

We hope it’s a competitive scrimmage and it gives the fans something fun to cheer on.

The Host

GoHeels.com reported a few weeks ago that Kenny Smith will be returning as the host of Late Night with Roy.

Smith, the Tar Heel legend, will be returning to host the event again. In the last few years, the host has changed several times.

Smith has hosted the event a few times now, but nobody will be as good as longtime host, Stuart Scott.

Scott lost his battle with cancer a few years back and ever since then, the program has rotated show hosts.

Smith was very good in his previous appearances and is always a fan favorite.

This year, however, might be a little different for Smith. Kenny Smith’s son, KJ Smith, is on the team, so he will have the honor of introducing his son to Tar Heel nation.

I cannot imagine how cool of a moment that might be for Smith.

Smith will be the master of ceremonies, which will include the scrimmage, team introductions, some skits, and the unveiling of the national championship banner.

Plus, whatever other surprises the night may have for fans as I’m sure there will be some.

If you have ever seen Smith do his thing on TNT, you will know he will be bringing the show and he won’t disappoint.

The Banner

After eight long years, the Heels will finally hang another championship banner in the rafters on Friday.

It is going to be a sight to see, all seven of those banners hanging in the rafters. I, for one, cannot wait.

We have an idea of what it will look like, but nobody knows quite what the ceremony will be like.

The team has already received its rings, so I do not think that will be part of the ceremony.

But there is one thing for certain.

That Dean Dome will be electric when they unveil that banner. It may be the loudest that building has been in a long time.

Especially after how UNC won the title in 2017, completing their redemption tour following a loss to Villanova in 2016.

GoHeels.com reported that the first 5,000 in attendance will receive their own mini replica of the 2017 championship banner. So make sure you are part of that first 5,000, just do not beat me there.

Remember, this is a free event open to all Tar Heel fans. Make sure you are there early enough to get a good view for the festivities as it will be a packed house in the Dean Dome.

Friday night is going to be a good one!