No coach in the country enters 2025\u201326 under more pressure than Hubert Davis<\/a>. At most schools, his national title game appearance and NCAA tournament No. 1 seed in four seasons would be cause for celebration \u2026 but North Carolina isn\u2019t most schools. Years 2 and 4 of his tenure have been ugly, missing the tournament as preseason No. 1 in 2023 before a mess of a \u201925 season that saw the Tar Heels sneak into the Big Dance but go just 1\u201312 in Quad 1 games. A repeat of last season would likely cause a coaching change in Chapel Hill, N.C.\u00a0<\/p>\nDavis has shape-shifted before, with 2024 being a good example of him building a far more cohesive roster meshing portal pieces in with returners. This is an even bigger roster teardown though, with just one rotation player (veteran guard Seth Trimble) back compared to that \u201924 squad that returned RJ Davis and Armando Bacot. We\u2019ve seen the potential for Trimble to take big leaps offensively, but North Carolina will need major contributions up and down the lineup from its newcomers to get back to national contention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
PG:<\/strong> Kyan Evans SG:<\/strong> Seth Trimble SF:<\/strong> Luka Bogavac PF:<\/strong> Caleb Wilson C: <\/strong>Henri Veesaar Key Reserves: <\/strong>G Derek Dixon, W Jonathan Powell, F Jarin Stevenson<\/p>\n\n
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Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar will be key to North Carolina\u2019s success this season. \/ Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNorth Carolina\u2019s most obvious flaw a season ago was its frontcourt play. Undersized big Ven-Allen Lubin and former top-50 recruit were woefully unsatisfactory on both ends of the floor. Enter Henri Veesaar<\/strong>, a 7-footer who was awesome at Arizona last season. Offensively, he\u2019s far more effective both as a play finisher at the rim and short-roll playmaker than any of North Carolina\u2019s options a year ago, and he\u2019s a steady rim presence defensively. This was the most important piece to get right for Davis and staff, and they nailed it.\u00a0<\/p>\nNext was retooling the backcourt around Trimble, a highly effective straight-line driver who isn\u2019t a great shooter. Kyan Evans<\/strong>, one of the stars of Colorado State\u2019s March run, is the opposite, a limited athlete around the rim but a dynamite shooter from distance. He\u2019s not necessarily a true point guard though, so Evans and Trimble will likely share ballhandling duties. Don\u2019t be surprised if freshman Derek Dixon <\/strong>climbs into that mix, too. North Carolina also bet big on Montenegrin guard Luka Bogavac<\/strong>, a highly accomplished overseas pro who averaged nearly 15 points per game in the Adriatic League last season.\u00a0<\/p>\nNorth Carolina\u2019s highest-upside player is top-10 freshman Caleb Wilson<\/strong>, a do-it-all 6′ 9″ forward with an NBA frame and impressive versatility. Him making a quick adjustment to college hoops would increase this group\u2019s ceiling immensely. Also at that spot is Jarin Stevenson<\/strong>, a rangey forward who spent the last two years in the rotation at Alabama.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
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North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis enters this season under a lot of pressure. \/ Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThis will be the first time in Hubert Davis\u2019s tenure that he hasn\u2019t had an elite ball-in-hand point guard to run the entire offense through. If that\u2019s what Carolina hopes Evans will be, it\u2019ll likely end up disappointed. It wouldn\u2019t be a surprise to see Trimble take on the role as offensive alpha (his 33-point outburst in a charity exhibition last year without RJ Davis sticks in many minds), but he\u2019s not the first-team All-American talent that RJ Davis was. Hubert Davis will have to adjust how they play stylistically and likely manufacture more offense than just rolling the ball out and playing in ball screens.<\/p>\n
In all, for one of the most expensive rosters in the country, the top-end talent is somewhat lacking. Wilson is the guy who can change that, but he\u2019s somewhat raw and could take time to adjust to the college game. If he does, will North Carolina have the horses to keep up with Duke and Louisville at the top of the ACC?<\/p>\n
North Carolina\u2019s roster construction makes a lot more sense this year than last season\u2019s combination of ball-dominant guards and bad bigs. Veesaar is a huge upgrade at center, and the Heels can surround a relentless rim presence like Trimble with plenty of shooting. If Wilson makes the impact some in Chapel Hill expect him to, this group could be in for a major bounce back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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