Tag: 2023-2024 UNC Basketball Season

UNC a Top 10 basketball program according to Andy Katz

The UNC men’s basketball program catches most of the hoops headlines in Chapel Hill, but the women have played amazing in recent years.

Every good sports program has a bad year, even if it never seems the case.

Last year was a bad year for the UNC men’s basketball team.

The Tar Heels garnered a tremendous amount of preseason hype, largely due to the fact they nearly beat Kansas in the 2022 National Championship game. They returned four of five starters from their title game run, with the lone starting lineup newcomer in Pete Nance.

Preseason Number One? Fitting. Being the first Preseason Number one to miss the Big Dance? Not so fitting.

Carolina’s women fared much better, making their fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels nearly upset Ohio State in the second round, but lost on a late Jacy Sheldon make. UNC returns its two best players – guard Deja Kelly and forward Alyssa Utsby.

Carolina won the Women’s NCAA Tourney back in 1994. Could it win a second title this year?

The men have six titles under their belt. Is number seven in store?

With how successful both teams are, college basketball correspondent Andy Katz ranked UNC seventh on his list of Top 10 programs.

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The Tar Heel men kick off their season on Monday, Nov. 6, as they welcome Big South power Radford to the Dean Dome for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off. The women start two days later, hosting the 2023 Big South Champions in Gardner-Webb at the same time.

How will UNC add to its long-standing basketball legacy this year?

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Elliot Cadeau ranks among top freshmen in the country

What the UNC basketball team lost in Caleb Love, they gained in Elliot Cadeau. The latter is one of the country’s top freshmen.

College basketball season officially kicks off next week.

Yes, you read that right.

Ever since the unexpected UConn-San Diego State National Championship matchup, fans have been itching to see their favorite teams get back on the court.

UNC fans, in particular, will get to see their favorite team in action on Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. against Radford. The Tar Heels bring back their two best players in Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis, while also sporting a few newcomers.

One of those newcomers is freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau, the highly-touted recruit projected to take over for Caleb Love.

Cadeau, the ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year who split his high-school basketball years between Bergen Catholic and Link Academy, was recently tabbed a Top 10 Freshman by college basketball analyst/correspondent Andy Katz.

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Cadeau rings in at five, behind a pair of fellow freshman stars in D.J. Wagner and Justin Edwards.

Cadeau should fit right into and immediately benefit the Tar Heels‘ offense, as he can score at a decent clip (10.9 points per game last year) and pass super-efficiently (GEICO Nationals-record 29 assists in three games). Looking at his assist totals alone (7.6 per game last year), he’s much more of a team player than Caleb Love.

Carolina already has another point guard in sophomore Seth Trimble on its roster. Trimble has apparently improved his game in the offseason – if that’s the case, we could see him play valuable minutes behind Cadeau.

There’s one thing we know for sure – Cadeau is that dude. There are just four more days until we watch him in live game action.

R.J. Davis ‘sad’ that this will be final year with Armando Bacot

UNC basketball players R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot are playing in their final year together. They’re also two of the Heels’ top producers.

One of the greatest on-court duos and off-court friendships, in recent UNC basketball memory, is R.J. Davis-Armando Bacot.

The two carry themselves like a pair of lifelong friends. Anytime you’ve watched a Carolina game, chances are you see them speaking to each other in the huddle. If one of them makes a big bucket, the other is there to immediately congratulate.

Sadly, this is the last year UNC will get to experience the Bacot-Davis bromance. So far, we’ve witnessed some lethal pick and rolls between the two, Bacot kicking the ball out to Davis for a three, or Davis pounding the ball down low to Bacot for an easy layup.

At the 2023 ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C., Davis answered a question from Daily Tar Heel’s Shelby Swanson, about what it’s meant to grow as a Tar Heel with someone like Bacot.

“It’s definitely sad,” Davis told Swanson. “I’ve been with Mondo since my freshman year. I’ve seen how he’s grown as a player and a person. Not knowing much of him my Freshman year, to now building a connection with him, I think this is going to be our best year. I’m just super proud of him and super proud of the relationship we’ve built on and off the court.”

If Bacot and Davis aren’t the Tar Heels’ top two players this year in terms of on-court production, I’d be shocked.

The duo combined to average 32 points per game last year, which was 42 percent of Carolina’s scoring. Bacot is UNC’s all-time leader in double-doubles and rebounds, while Davis is the Heels’ leading returning in scoring (16.1), 3-pointers made (63) and 3-point percentage (.362).

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UNC Basketball 2023-24 player preview: Jae’Lyn Withers

We focus on Louisville transfer Jae’Lyn Withers in today’s preview. He’ll likely come off the bench for valuable minutes at the 4 spot.

The UNC basketball program brought in Pete Nance last offseason, with hopes the Northwestern transfer would immediately replace the production of Brady Manek.

Nance had his moments, but never played up to his preseason hype. He struggled immensely, scoring single-digits 13 times and failing to score in two additional games.

Nance is gone now, so who are the Tar Heels going to start at power forward?

It’s likely going to be Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram, but there’s another transfer who could push for valuable minutes at the 4 – North Carolina native Jae’Lyn Withers, who’s coming in from Louisville.

Withers enters a significantly better situation in Chapel Hill. The Cardinals won just four games – FOUR – a year ago. Withers was one of Louisville top players, averaging 8.9 points (third) and 5.3 rebounds (second) per game. He’ll bring a much-needed perimeter shooting touch to UNC.

Granted, Carolina experienced just as much – if not more – disappointment than Louisville. UNC missed the NCAA Tournament entirely, becoming the first Preseason Number One to do so.

With a slew of transfers and young reinforcements, Carolina is in a good position to have a much-needed bounce-back season. Let’s take a look at Withers, one of those transfers expected to contribute immediately.

UNC Basketball 2023-24 player preview: Cormac Ryan

Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan adds another dynamic scoring option to the UNC basketball team. Where does he fit into this year’s lineup?

It’s that time of year where a sports lover is glued to their televison.

We’re in the midst of professional and collegiate football season, plus the MLB Postseason. NHL action has already kicked off, while the NBA regular season starts next week.

There’s one more sport we’ll be adding to that mix early next month – college basketball, the one sport that can decrease work productivity for just a few weeks every March.

One college hoops teams several people will be following closely is UNC, who, last year, became the first Preseason Number One team to miss the NCAA Tournament. Carolina returned four-fifths of its starting lineup last year, but that veteran presence and talent never played up to its 2021-2022 level.

A reason the Tar Heels struggled was head coach Hubert Davis’ failure to properly utilize the bench. He had the likes of Jalen Washington, Puff Johnson, Dontrez Styles and D’Marco Dunn waiting for their turn, yet those four and additional bench guys rarely saw extended minutes on the court.

This led to a mass exodus of transfers, with seven Tar Heels, led by last year’s starting point guard Caleb Love, leaving Chapel Hill.

What UNC lost in the transfer portal, though, they quickly gained back in the form of two projected starters and three valuable bench pieces.

One of Carolina’s most valuable transfers they gained was former Notre Dame guard Cormac Ryan, who’s tallied over 1,000 points during his time in South Bend. At 6’5″, he’ll likely split time between the shooting guard and small forward spot.

There’s a chance Ryan could start at the 3, but we’ll have to wait until an official starting lineup is released. Let’s take a deeper dive into the type of player UNC gains in Ryan:

UNC Basketball 2023-2024 player preview: R.J. Davis

In today’s edition of UNC basketball player previews, we take a look at starting guard R.J. Davis, the Heels’ best perimeter shooter.

Exactly 20 days from today, the Dean Dome will be rockin’ with Tar Heel fans.

Exactly 20 days from today, the UNC basketball team opens its 2023-2024 campaign at 7 p.m. against the Radford Highlanders. With all the hype Carolina has ahead of the season, including a Preseason AP Poll ranking of 19th, there’s a lot to be excited about in Chapel Hill.

One of many reasons to be excited about Tar Heel basketball is the return of starting shooting guard R.J. Davis, who holds the highest scoring average (16.1 points per game), three-point shooting percentage (.362), three-pointers made (63) and free throw percentage (.881) among returners.

If it weren’t for Davis’ scoring production, UNC probably wouldn’t have won a lot of games last year. The season was disappointing nonetheless, but at least we had Davis.

You guessed it – Davis is also the highlight of today’s player preview. Let’s take a deeper dive in what he brings to the Tar Heels this year.

UNC Basketball 2023-24 player preview: Jalen Washington

One of the UNC basketball team’s most valuable bench players is Jalen Washington, the sophomore backup center from Gary, Indiana.

We’re just over a month away from the highly-anticipated start of UNC’s basketball season, which debuts on Monday, Nov. 6 against the Radford Highlanders.

The Tar Heels were expected to make noise last year. Despite squandering a 15-point halftime lead to Kansas in the 2022 National Championship, they instead missed the NCAA Tournament entirely. This was further disappointing by UNC being the first Preseason Number 1 to miss the Big Dance.

Carolina returned four-fifths of its starters – Armando Bacot, R.J. Davis, Leaky Black and Caleb Love. There was rumored friction between Love and Davis, but no confirmations that was ever true.

One of the main speculations UNC struggled in games was the lack of bench utilization. It seemed like every game, Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis would only play his starters. There were a few bench guys who saw court time, but not a significant amount.

A bench guy who did see a good bit of court was center Jalen Washington, the sophomore from Gary, Ind. He’ll be the focus of this player preview – read what we have to write about him!

UNC’s experienced hoops roster has three 1,000-point scorers

UNC basketball players Armando Bacot, R.J. Davis and Cormac Ryan are all members of the 1,000-point scoring club.

Just over a month away from kicking off the 2023-2024 NCAA men’s basketball season, UNC is looking to avenge one of its most disappointing seasons in program history.

The Tar Heels had high hopes last year, especially after making the 2022 NCAA Tournament title game against Kansas, but instead became the first Preseason Number One to miss the Big Dance.

With an experienced roster led by R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot, plus an influx of talented transfers, there’s plenty of optimism UNC will bounce back.

The Tar Heels carry so much experience on this year’s roster, they actually carry three 1,000-point scorers: Bacot, Davis and Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan.

Bacot is already an all-time UNC great, leading the program in rebounds (1,335) and double-doubles (68). He was often the Heels’ go-to scoring source last year, bullying opponents in the paint and seemingly sucking in every rebound. With yet another offseason to refine his post moves and add some new tricks to his bag, expect Bacot to be even more of a force in his collegiate grand finale.

Davis provided the Heels strength in an area they’ve sorely lacked in recent years – 3-point shooting. Outside of Jackson Watkins draining his lone 3-point attempt last season, Davis led UNC in perimeter shooting percentage (.362%). Carolina has some additional reliable 3-point options this year, but expect Davis to anchor the perimeter shooting attack on a nightly basis.

Ryan, the newest Tar Heel on this list, is going to be Davis’ greatest scoring compliment. The 3-time team captain dropped 1,173 points and drained 212 3-pointers over the past three years at Notre Dame. His career perimeter shooting percentage is 35.2%, while he shoots over 80% from the free throw line.

UNC has plenty of additional scoring talent on the roster, such as 5-star freshman Elliot Cadeau and backup center Jalen Washington. If there’s three guys who fans can expect to lead the Heels in scoring this year, however, those guys would be Bacot, Davis and Ryan.

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Will Seth Trimble see a minutes increase in Year Two at UNC?

Seth Trimble was a key reserve at point guard for the UNC basketball team last year. He’s improved his confidence and shooting since then.

Last year was, undoubtedly, one of the most frustrating seasons in UNC basketball history.

The Heels made the wrong kind of history, becoming the first Preseason Number One to miss the NCAA Tournament, which was especially surprising after they returned four of five starters from the year before. They teetered on the brink of making the Big Dance, but a loss to UVA in the ACC Tourney all but ended those hopes.

UNC head coach Hubert Davis was often criticized for not utilizing his bench, something the Heels did so well in their 2019 title season. Bench players saw the court so little that, this offseason, seven players transferred out.

One key reserve that decided to stay was Seth Trimble, the sophomore guard from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.

Trimble will likely keep his hold on the backup point guard role, as 5-star freshman Elliot Cadeau will hold that spot down this year. Trimble played a bunch the first half of his freshman season, then saw his playing time dwindle as Davis fussed with the rotation.

Davis like what he sees out of Trimble ahead of Year Two, particularly in Trimble’s improved confidence and shooting ability.

“Seth has athleticism that is not normal,” Davis told TarHeelIllustrated’s Andrew Jones. “He can be, I think, the best defender in the county. His ability to pick up full court and keep the ball in front of him, he has the ability to be a problem on the defensive end.”

Trimble knows he has to show an improvement in his game, which will be the key for court time in a loaded guard rotation that includes transfers Cormac Ryan and Paxson Wojcik.

“I like to try and be a spark plug to the best of my ability,” Trimble told TarHeelIllustrated. “The starters play so many minutes. They need rest and they need help. They’re not always going to be super-hot, so just being a spark plug.”

Trimble’s first taste of game action will be in early November, when the Tar Heels host Radford on Monday, Nov. 6.

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UNC basketball jerseys ranked second on Katz’ Top 10

UNC has some of the best-looking jerseys across college basketball, ranking second on Andy Katz’ Top 10 list ahead of the upcoming season.

The University of North Carolina sports one of the country’s premier collegiate basketball programs.

UNC has six national titles, with half of them coming in the 2000’s. The Heels seem to churn out pro players yearly, with the most recent being Day’Ron Sharpe in 2021.

Here’s a stat that models how dominant the Heels have been: they’ve participated in 19 NCAA tournaments since 2002, including a stretch of nine straight from 2011-2019. UNC reached the 2022 final, losing to Kansas, then fell significantly short of expectations last season.

Not only are the Heels widely dominant on the court, they also sport some of the freshest jerseys in the game.

College basketball analyst Andy Katz recently ranked UNC’s jerseys second out of 10 teams ahead of the 2023-2024 campaign – one spot behind UCLA and a spot ahead of Georgetown.

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It’s easy to see why UNC’s jerseys rank so highly. They have several combinations – all-Carolina blue or white, with both sporting the signature argyle style down the sides. It also helps to have world-famous designer Alexander Julian in its corner.

If jersey rankings could determine a season, I’d say the Heels have a good chance of winning a championship. They’ll certainly aspire to capture their seventh title this year, particularly after becoming the first Preseason Number One to miss the NCAA tournament last season.

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