Analyst believes UNC basketball has a ‘better foundation’ in 2023

The Field of 68 debates whether or not North Carolina’s foundation is better for the 2023-24 season.

There is a long way to go until the 2023-24 UNC basketball roster is finalized.

We have seen some moves. UNC lost six players to the transfer portal in March and added a guard out of the portal.

The roster will look a lot different from last year, despite starters Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis both returning. But how will the moves impact UNC’s team next year?

The guys at “Field of 68” podcast are in Houston for the Final Four, and they discussed UNC’s roster on Wednesday’s episode. They discussed the Tar Heels’ recent moves, including Caleb Love entering the portal.

Rob Dauster believes the Tar Heels will have a better foundation for next year:

“I do think they will, they have a better foundation. They have the guys that gave you a certain level,” Dauster said. “You knew how good you were going to be with R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot. You need guys around them to lift the ceiling. The thing was, in 2022, Caleb Love was that guy to lift your ceiling. I think in 2023, he was trying to do too much. He was trying to showcase who he was.”

Fellow host Jeff Goodman pushed back on that idea, saying he thought Love was the same as he had been in his career. They even pointed to the 2021-22 run to the national title. Randolph Childress added that the Tar Heels never replaced Brady Manek from that team, and that’s what hurt them.

The discussion is an interesting one and there are some good points on the topic.

And while Davis and Bacot are back for another year, UNC has to find talent to put around them if it wants to return to the NCAA Tournament.

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