2022 Record: 20-13 (11-9)

Head Coach: Hubert Davis (Career Record 49-23)

Projected Rotation:

PG: Elliot Cadeau

SG: RJ Davis (16.1 Pts, 5.1 Reb, 3.2 Ast)

SF: Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame 12.3 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 2.5 Ast)

PF: Harrison Ingram (Stanford 10.5 Pts, 5.8 Reb, 3.7 Ast)

C: Armando Bacot (15.9 Pts, 10.4 Reb, 1.4 Ast)

6: PG Seth Trimble (1.8 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.6 Ast)

7: PF Jalen Washington (2.2 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 0.1 Ast)

8: SG Paxson Wojcik (Brown 14.9 Pts, 7.2 Reb, 3.2 Ast)

9: PF Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville 8.9 Pts, 5.3 Reb, 0.8 Ast)

10: PF Zayden High

11: C James Okonkwo (West Virginia 2.5 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 0.2 Ast)

North Carolina’s biggest win this offseason was getting big man Armando Bacot to return. He is an anchor down low for the Tar Heels and really plays at a high level on both sides of the ball. Bacot has averaged a double double the last 2 seasons and now going into his 5th year with the team he’ll be called upon to do even more in addition to being a leader. Bacot’s production on the defensive end of the floor should also be the best in his 5 year career in Chapel Hill. The other returner to the starting lineup for the Tar Heels is guard RJ Davis. The 6-0 guard averaged over 16PPG this past season really showcasing the ability to score on all three levels. Davis has also been an exceptional rebounder for his size and displays great court vision being able to find his teammates in transition.

The remaining returners to Chapel Hill this upcoming season are PG Seth Trimble and PF Jalen Washington. Both Trimble and Washington figure to be bigger pieces of the rotation this season. Trimble, in limited action, shot 46% from the floor overall. He should flourish in a 6th man type of role this season in Hubert Davis’s system. Jalen Washington also shot 46% from the floor in limited action. Washington could play in a role off the bench to relive Bacot at times. North Carolina also brought in 2023 recruits Elliot Cadeau and Zayden High. Cadeau is a very skilled and athletic point guard who was ranked as the #12 player in the class of 2023. He should be the starting PG for the Tar Heels this upcoming season which is asking a lot since he was a reclass from 2024. PF Zayden High was the other freshman the Tar Heels signed this past year. The Texas native should see some time in the rotation this season.

The Tar Heels also took to the portal where they were able to reel in transfers Harrison Ingram and Jae’Lyn Withers. Ingram was a very hyped up prospect coming out of high school. He was a decent player at Stanford, but never was able to fully get it going. He was a bit inconsistent from the field and didn’t live up to his preseason hype. He still has immense talent that will be on full display in Chapel Hill. He has a chance to be one of the more productive players on this UNC team. Withers is coming from a very tough situation at Louisville, but he has proven he can be a decent enough player in the ACC to hold his own. He should be a solid depth piece off the bench at the forward position for the Tar Heels. UNC also signed West Virginia transfer James Okonkwo very late in the process. He will also be a depth piece and defensive presence for UNC but doesn’t figure to get that many minutes this season.

North Carolina also signed transfers Cormac Ryan from Notre Dame and Paxson Wojcik from Brown. Both will provide an offensive spark for UNC this season and should be some of the best shooters on the team. Both players also bring a great level of experience to the team as they are both going into their 5th seasons of CBB. Cormac Ryan who previously played for Stanford in addition to Notre Dame is a career 35% three point shooter but did shoot 41% during the 2021-22 season with the Fighting Irish. Wojcik is a career 36% three point shooter and shot 38% from beyond the arc this past season at Brown.

North Carolina had so much hype going into last season and they couldn’t live up to the hype as they became the first team ranked #1 in the preseason AP poll to not even make the NCAA Tournament. This years Tar Heel team doesn’t have close to the level of preseason expectations that last seasons team had. With that being said, this years team should be better than last seasons team as most of the pieces seem to fit better together. There will be a lot asked out of Elliot Cadeau which could be too much to handle for a freshman. He seems up for the challenge and UNC should easily return to the tournament again. This team should finish in the Top 3 in the ACC next season.