After massive offseason roster changes, Davis’ third UNC team faces tough schedule

R.L. Bynum,

By R.L. Bynum

How will Coach Hubert Davis’ team mesh with only four returnees after losing nine players from last season and bringing in seven newcomers?

His third team will get tough tests of its progress, starting in late November as the Tar Heels play at least seven — and potentially nine — games against teams ranked in ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25 ranking.

The ACC released the full schedule Tuesday night, including league game dates, and it includes only two 9 p.m. games so far.

Carolina, No. 15 in that ESPN list, faces No. 2 Duke twice (Feb. 3 in Chapel Hill and March 9 in Durham), No. 5 UConn at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 5 (no time announced yet), No. 8 Tennessee at home on Nov. 20 in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge, No. 17 Kentucky in the Dec. 16 CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta and No. 18 Miami twice (Feb. 10 at Miami and Feb. 26 in Chapel Hill).

Additionally, UNC could face No. 17 Villanova on the second day of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 23 and No. 14 Arkansas on Nov. 24, the final day of that event.

UNC doesn’t play a game between the Dec. 5 UConn contest and the Dec. 16 Kentucky game.

Carolina plays an exhibition Oct. 27 against St. Augustine’s, followed by its first three games at home — against Radford on Nov. 6, Lehigh on Nov. 12 and UC Riverside on Nov. 17 — before heading to the Bahamas to play in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

UNC, which went 20–13 last season and missed the NCAA tournament, opens ACC play on Dec. 2 at home against Florida State.

In addition to Duke and Miami, other league teams the Tar Heels play at home and on the road are N.C. State (Jan. 10 in Raleigh and March 2 in Chapel Hill), Clemson (play in Chapel Hill on Feb. 6), Florida State (play at Tallahassee on Jan. 27) and Syracuse (at Chapel Hill on Jan. 13 and at Syracuse on Feb. 13).

UNC only plays Louisville (Jan. 17), Notre Dame (March 5), Virginia Tech (Feb. 17) and Wake Forest (Jan. 22) at home and only meets Boston College (Jan. 20), Georgia Tech (Jan. 30), Pittsburgh (Jan. 2) and Virginia (Feb. 24) on the road.

The only four returning players are guards RJ Davis and Seth Trimble and big men Jalen Washington and Armando Bacot.

Gone from last season’s team are the Charlotte Hornets’ Leaky Black and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Pete Nance, along with seven players who transferred: Caleb Love (Arizona), Dontrez Styles (Georgetown), Tyler Nickel (Virginia Tech), Justin McKoy (Hawaii), Will Shaver (UAB), as well as D’Marco Dunn and Puff Johnson, who both are now at Penn State.

Five transfers and two freshmen replenish the roster. Incoming transfers are wings Cormac Ryan (from Notre Dame), Paxton Wojcik (Brown) and Harrison Ingram (Stanford), as well as big men James Okonkwo (West Virginia) and Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville).

Expected to start at point guard is freshman Elliott Cadeau. The other member of the freshman class is big man Zayden High.

DateMonth/dayTimeOpponent/event
(current ranks)		TV/
record
October
24FridayL, 78–76vs. No. 10 BYU in SLCExhib.
29WednesdayW, 95–53vs. Winston-Salem St.Exhib.
November
3MondayW, 94–54vs. Central Arkansas1–0
7FridayW, 87–74vs. No. 17 Kansas2–0
11TuesdayW, 89–74vs. Radford3–0
14FridayW, 97–53vs. N.C. Central4–0
18TuesdayW, 73–61vs. Navy5–0
Fort Myers Tip-Off
25TuesdayW, 85–70vs. St. Bonaventure6–0
27ThursdayL, 74–58vs. No. 9 Michigan State6–1
DecemberACC/SEC
Men’s Challenge
2TuesdayW, 67–64at Kentucky7–1
—————————
7SundayW, 81–61vs. Georgetown8–1
13SaturdayW, 80–62vs. USC Upstate9–1
16TuesdayW, 77–58vs. ETSU10–1
CBS Sports Classic
in Atlanta
20Saturday3 p.m.vs. Ohio StateCBS
—————————
22Monday8 p.m.vs. East CarolinaACCN
30Tuesday7 p.m.vs. Florida StateESPN2
January
3Saturday2:15at SMUThe CW
10Saturday6 p.m.vs. Wake ForestACCN
14Wednesday9 p.m.at StanfordACCN
17Saturday4 p.m.at CaliforniaACCN
21Wednesday7 p.m.vs. Notre DameESPN2
24Saturday2 or 2:30at No. 23 VirginiaESPN or
ESPNU
31Saturday2 p.m.at Georgia TechACCN
February
2Monday7 p.m.vs. SyracuseESPN
7Saturday6:30vs. No. 3 DukeESPN
10Tuesday7 p.m.at MiamiESPN or
ESPN2
14Saturday2 p.m.vs. PittsburghESPN
17Tuesday7 p.m.at N.C. StateESPN or
ESPN2
21Saturday1 p.m.at SyracuseABC
23Monday7 p.m.vs. No. 11 LouisvilleESPN
28Saturday6:30 or 8:30vs. Virginia TechESPN or
ESPN2
March
3Tuesday7 p.m.vs. ClemsonESPN or
ESPN2
7Saturday6:30at No. 3 DukeESPN
10–14Tues.-Sat.ACC
tournament		Spectrum Center,
Charlotte
No.ClassPlayerPos.HgtWgt
8FreshmanCaleb Wilson (5 star)46–10215
5FreshmanIsaiah Denis (4 star)CG6–4180
3FreshmanDerek Dixon (4 star)CG6–5200
40SophomoreIvan Matlekovic57–0255
11SophomoreJonathan PowellG6–6190
2SophomoreJames Brown 56–10240
1SophomoreZayden High46–10230
44JuniorLuca Bogavac
(BO-guh-VAHTS)		W6–6215
4JuniorJaydon Young26–4200
13RS juniorHenri Veesaar
(VEH-sar)		57–0225
0JuniorKyan Evans16–2175
15JuniorJarin Stevenson46–10215
7SeniorSeth Trimble26–3200
Walk-ons
25SophomoreJohn Holbrook46–8230
32JuniorEvan Smith26–1195
6RS seniorElijah Davis26–3205

Former UNC players who transferred

PlayerClass next seasonPos.HgtWgtNext school
Elliot CadeauJuniorPG6–1180Michigan
Jalen WashingtonSeniorC6–10235Vanderbilt
Ian JacksonSophomoreG6–4190St. John’s
Cade TysonSeniorF6–7200Minnesota
Ven-Allen LubinSeniorC6–8230N.C. State
DateMonth/dayTimeOpponent/event
(current ranks)		TV/
record
October
24FridayL, 78–76vs. No. 10 BYU in SLCExhib.
29WednesdayW, 95–53vs. Winston-Salem St.Exhib.
November
3MondayW, 94–54vs. Central Arkansas1–0
7FridayW, 87–74vs. No. 17 Kansas2–0
11TuesdayW, 89–74vs. Radford3–0
14FridayW, 97–53vs. N.C. Central4–0
18TuesdayW, 73–61vs. Navy5–0
Fort Myers Tip-Off
25TuesdayW, 85–70vs. St. Bonaventure6–0
27ThursdayL, 74–58vs. No. 9 Michigan State6–1
DecemberACC/SEC
Men’s Challenge
2TuesdayW, 67–64at Kentucky7–1
—————————
7SundayW, 81–61vs. Georgetown8–1
13SaturdayW, 80–62vs. USC Upstate9–1
16TuesdayW, 77–58vs. ETSU10–1
CBS Sports Classic
in Atlanta
20Saturday3 p.m.vs. Ohio StateCBS
—————————
22Monday8 p.m.vs. East CarolinaACCN
30Tuesday7 p.m.vs. Florida StateESPN2
January
3Saturday2:15at SMUThe CW
10Saturday6 p.m.vs. Wake ForestACCN
14Wednesday9 p.m.at StanfordACCN
17Saturday4 p.m.at CaliforniaACCN
21Wednesday7 p.m.vs. Notre DameESPN2
24Saturday2 or 2:30at No. 23 VirginiaESPN or
ESPNU
31Saturday2 p.m.at Georgia TechACCN
February
2Monday7 p.m.vs. SyracuseESPN
7Saturday6:30vs. No. 3 DukeESPN
10Tuesday7 p.m.at MiamiESPN or
ESPN2
14Saturday2 p.m.vs. PittsburghESPN
17Tuesday7 p.m.at N.C. StateESPN or
ESPN2
21Saturday1 p.m.at SyracuseABC
23Monday7 p.m.vs. No. 11 LouisvilleESPN
28Saturday6:30 or 8:30vs. Virginia TechESPN or
ESPN2
March
3Tuesday7 p.m.vs. ClemsonESPN or
ESPN2
7Saturday6:30at No. 3 DukeESPN
10–14Tues.-Sat.ACC
tournament		Spectrum Center,
Charlotte

Photo via @UNC_Basketball

Unknown's avatar

Published by R.L. Bynum

Leave a Reply