After an incredibly disappointing season in 2022-2023, UNC Basketball looks to redeem itself and get back to the top of the ACC.
After losing Leaky Black, Pete Nance to graduation, and Caleb Love to the transfer portal, the Tar Heels regrouped and look solid entering this season.
Will the Tar Heels Bounce Back? – UNC Basketball Preview
UNC was the Preseason Number 1 Team, and the Tar Heels’ season went for a turn when they lost to Iowa State. They proceeded to lose four straight. UNC finished 11-9 in the ACC Conference and didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. Therefore, they are under pressure to produce this season.
Strengths
Returning Key Pieces
The Tar Heels return some of their top scorers from their NCAA Championship appearance and their team from last season. Armando Bacot returns for another season in Chapel Hill. Therefore, UNC gets one of the best bigs in the country back for another season. Bacot is an excellent inside player, as he is a double-double machine. He also brings important experience and production, key for turning the Tar Heels’ season into a positive one in 2024.
The Tar Heels also bring back Point Guard RJ Davis. Davis was the Tar Heels Second-Leading scorer in 2023, and his scoring will be a nice boost for this upcoming season. Davis scores from all three levels and gets going when he is hot from three-point range. He also commands the offense as an experienced point guard, so the offense should run smoothly.
The Transfers
The Tar Heels bring a lot of good additions to their programs from the Transfer Portal. More specifically, they get shooting to provide spacing for Bacot and Davis. Paxson Wojcix comes from Brown and is an excellent three-point shooter. Paxson shot 38% from three-point range, so he will provide perimeter shooting to open the paint up for Bacot and Davis. Additionally, Cormac Ryan brings shooting to the Tar Heels roster this season. While Ryan only shot 34.4% from three in 2023, Cormac shot 40.7% from three in 2022. He is excellent in spot-up situations and coming off pin-downs. UNC gets some shooting from some of their transfers.
However, UNC also got a dynamic forward in the transfer portal. They got Harrison Ingram from Stanford, who was the 12th Best Transfer according to the Athletic. While having consistency issues, he is an excellent passer in the pick-and-roll. Ingram had a 26% assist rate, and a lot of it was him attacking downhill. He will be a big forward that provides a paint presence for the Heels.
Additionally, UNC just got James Onkonkwo from West Virginia, who will help the Heels defensively. The forward had the most blocked shots on the Mountaineers team this past season at 22. UNC gets a presence defensively that will help them defend the rim in a competitive and talented ACC Conference.
UNC’sWeaknesses
Shooting
The Tar Heels are a team that struggled from three-point range this past season. UNC shot 31.2% from the perimeter, so Paxson and Cormac are necessary additions to this problem. Unfortunately, the issue for the Tar Heels was the loss of Brady Manek from their 2022 team. He provided great shooting as he shot 40.3% from three and made 98 threes in his Graduate Season. Therefore, the Heels need shooting; hopefully, their transfers provide enough of it to make it a strength again.
Consistency
UNC had major issues with consistency in 2023. It began with their players, as they were many cases where they were consistency issues. Whether it was Bacot only shooting seven shots in a game or Davis shooting an inefficient percentage, consistency caused many of their problems last season. However, the transfer additions and experienced players should prove to add more consistent play this upcoming season.
Last Word on UNC Basketball
UNC Basketball primes itself for a bounce-back season, and they have pressure on them to perform well. The experience and transfers UNC brings into this season should provide positivity for this season.
