By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina appears on seven of 10 way-too-early Top 25 men’s basketball lists for next season that were published on Tuesday.
The fact that the transfer portal season is still active and many rosters are very uncertain doesn’t stop these lists from coming out the day after the national championship game.
Of the lists ranking the Tar Heels, On3.com has them the highest at No. 8 and ESPN the lowest at No. 25. With three leaving off UNC, the Tar Heels are a consensus No. 24 pick.
On other lists, The Athletic has UNC No. 16, with Heat Check CBB and USA Today listing the Heels at No. 22, while Fox Sports and 247Sports rank UNC No. 23.
Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and Busting the Bracket were the outlets not ranking UNC.
Duke is No. 1 on one list, No. 2 on four lists, No. 3 on two, No. 4 on one and No. 8 on another. Many are high on Louisville, which is No. 2 on two lists, No. 3 on another and No. 5 on four lists.
Here’s what the various outlets said of UNC:
— On3.com:
“North Carolina got off to a nice start addressing needs in the transfer portal, landing one of the top available centers and a solid veteran wing to complement the recruiting class. However, for Hubert Davis the big potential comes with returning talent, which saw a down year hurt their draft stock and leave a potential return on the table.”
— The Athletic’s CJ Moore:
“This will be a prove-it year for Hubert Davis, who saw the weakness of his previous team — the frontcourt — and has turned it into a strength. Caleb Wilson is a lottery-level talent with elite defensive capabilities, and [Henri] Veesaar is another player who projects as a pro. So UNC goes from no pros up front to two likely ones. Now the worry is in the backcourt: The cupboard is not bare with Seth Trimble and Drake Powell returning, but it’d be smart to go get at least one proven perimeter player from the portal, preferably at point guard.”
— Heat Check CBB:
“Can Hubert Davis return UNC to prominence in a make-or-break season? The head coach has gotten off to a solid start in the portal, adding Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar, solving the center conundrum that plagued the Tar Heels last season. Veesaar shines in pick-and-pops and on the short roll, fitting nicely next to top-10 freshman forward Caleb Wilson. West Virginia transfer Jonathan Powell will help the Heels’ 3-point shooting, but they still desperately need help in the guard room.
— USA Today:
“To say next year is make-or-break for coach Hubert Davis isn’t exactly going out on a limb. The good news is the Tar Heels have made inroads in the transfer market with Henri Veesaar coming in from Arizona to help fill the gaping hole in the middle and Jonathan Powell arriving from West Virginia to pair with Seth Trimble for another perimeter scoring option. The freshmen class features 6-9 forward Caleb Wilson, but the backcourt will be young with R.J. Davis out of eligibility, Ian Jackson entering the portal and Elliott Cadeau also transferring out.
— 247Sports:
“North Carolina’s top-five of Seth Trimble, Drake Powell, Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and Ven-Allen Lubin can coalesce into one of the best teams in the ACC. The Veesaar addition is enormous — literally and figuratively — but losing Ian Jackson to the transfer portal on Monday is a blow. UNC has a lot of moves left on the docket and the pressure is on to find a difference-making guard who can pass, dribble and shoot.
— ESPN’s Jeff Borzello:
“There is plenty still up in the air for the Tar Heels, particularly with the status of Drake Powell. He is not a lock to be a first-round draft pick but could opt [for] the NBA anyway. Elliot Cadeau and Ian Jackson have already hit the portal. Hubert Davis landed one of the best big men in the portal in Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar and has top-10 recruit Caleb Wilson coming to Chapel Hill. But the team very much needs a true point guard, as well as some more pop on the wing.”
Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and the seven players who entered the transfer portal return, which would put UNC two under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 3 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 5 star | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–7 | 190 |
| RS freshman | Cade Bennerman — W | C | 7–0 | 205 | |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — Y | G | 6–6 | 205 | |
| Senior | Terrence Brown — Z | G | 6–3 | 174 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
W — Northwestern transfer. X — Virginia Tech transfer; Y — N.C. State transfer; Z — Utah transfer
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who left for the transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 |
Key offseason dates
Thursday through May 28 — Kevin Thomas at USA Basketball U18 national team tryouts in Colorado Springs
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
June 13 — Deadline for international players to withdraw from NBA draft and maintain college eligibility
June 23–24 — NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Nonconference schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski or Rocco Miller)
(11 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Nov. 27 — vs. West Virginia at the Dick Vitale Invitational at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center
Dec. 1 or 2 — vs. SEC team in ACC/SEC Challenge (announced last year on June 12)
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
