The Tar Heels had a solid 2023-24 season, reaching the Sweet 16. After winning the 2023 ACC Regular Season title, can North Carolina repeat? Despite losing Armando Bacot, Harrison Ingram, and Cormac Ryan to the NBA, they’ll have one of the best guards in the nation with RJ Davis as their leader. The Tar Heels have plenty of momentum as Hubert Davis enters his fourth year as head coach. Let’s dive into a UNC basketball preview, as they look to build upon last year‘s success.
UNC Basketball Preview: Tar Heels Taking Charge
Roster overhaul is a commonality these days in college basketball. UNC is all too familiar with the term. In the 2023-24 season the team, according to Basketball Reference, only had 38.2% of minutes played and 45.5% of scoring return on their roster from the previous year. Now, they find themselves in a similar situation. So far Hubert Davis has been lacking when it comes to recruiting transfers. He still has time before the season begins to find a few more guys. Even so, UNC is bringing in a fantastic freshman class, ranked eighth in the country by 247. While there may be some pressure on Davis to bring in another transfer or two, the team has a loaded backcourt with Elliot Cadeau, RJ Davis, and Seth Trimble. So if Coach Davis is going to find another player via the portal it should be someone who plays down low.
2 Transfers for UNC Basketball
Ven-Allen Lubin and Cade Tyson are the lone transfers for North Carolina. Lubin is transferring from Vanderbilt and will be a solid addition to the frontcourt. Last season he was 10th in the SEC in offensive rebound percentage averaging 9.2%. It was a down year for Vandy, but Lubin proved he can play among elite talent. Tyson comes from Belmont where he was the MVC Rookie of the Year in 2022-23. Additionally, he was named to the 2023-24 MVC second team. Last season for the Bruins Tyson was second in scoring and first in rebounding, averaging 16.2 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game. The Carmel, NC native’s outside shooting will be essential for the team. Tyson had the second-best individual three-point field goal percentage in the entire NCAA last season, averaging an astounding 46% from deep.
Loaded North Carolina Freshmen Class
Ian Jackson and Drake Powell headline the 2024 Freshman Class for UNC. Jackson is the eighth-ranked national prospect, and Powell is ranked 11th. James Brown rounds out the class trio, and while he may not be ranked as high the team will need his size. Standing at six-foot-nine, he is tied with Zayden High as the second-tallest player on the roster. Jackson and Powell are both phenomenal players, but with so many great guards on the team, they may not see much time in their first year. Ranked eighth nationally by 247, this freshmen class for the Tar Heels should bring many wins to Chapel Hill.
Tar Heels Schedule Preview
UNC will play Duke, NC State, and Pitt at home and away. They’ll be visiting, but not hosting, Syracuse, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. The team will only play in Chapel Hill against Boston College, California, Georgia Tech, Miami, SMU, Stanford, and Virginia. Their out-of-conference schedule is quite empty as of right now, but that is subject to change. Tar Heels have a heated Sweet Sixteen rematch against Alabama in the SEC/ACC Challenge on December 4th. UNC’s only other scheduled non-conference opponent is UCLA, who they’ll take on December 21st in the CBS Sports Classic. Hubert Davis will likely seek out some weaker opponents to fill in the rest of the schedule. Bama and UCLA won’t be easy wins, and the ACC is sure to be a gauntlet.
