Yesterday, Hubert Davis met with the media, ahead of the 2024-25 basketball season. Next week, Davis and the Tar Heels will be in Charlotte, for ACC Tip-Off, just another sign that the basketball season is right around the corner. Carolina is coming off a successful 2023-24 season, that saw the program win its first ACC regular season title under Davis, and earn a record 18th #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, before falling short to Alabama in the Sweet 16. After losing Armando Bacot, Cormac Ryan, and Harrison Ingram, Davis retooled the roster around fifth-year senior, RJ Davis, and expectations are too once again, to win a conference championship, and make the Final Four. Here are the biggest takeaways from Davis’s session with the media on Friday.
Confidence in Revamped Frontcourt: Armando Bacot is gone after a legendary career in Chapel Hill, after becoming the school's all-time leader in rebounding and double-doubles. With that, Carolina will utilize a plethora of big men to replace his production, headlined by Jalen Washington, who Hubert Davis called “adorable”, but made it known he needs to have a big season. In addition to Washington, Carolina brought in Ven-Allen Lubin from Vanderbilt, a versatile, offensive rebounding machine, and Tyzhaun Claude, a veteran big man from Georgia Tech, to add depth. Carolina’s frontcourt will look, and play differently this season, with more floor spacing, but it still comes down to being able to rebound the basketball and protect the rim. Something they are better equipped to do than in recent seasons.
Cade Tyson is Read to Make an Impact: Cade Tyson was the gem out of the transfer portal for Carolina, after shooting 46% from deep at Belmont last season, the second-best mark in the country. He’s taking over for Cormac Ryan on the wing, although Hubert Davis alluded to him playing some at the 4 spot as well. After a productive career at Belmont, Tyson will look to bring his sharpshooting ability to the Tar Heels, and in return, win at the highest level in college basketball.
Backcourt is Deep: RJ Davis is the headliner for UNC’s backcourt, but there is plenty of talent and depth on the roster. In addition to Davis, Elliott Cadeau is back for his sophomore season and appears to have taken the jump you typically see a second-year guard make at UNC. Seth Trimble, who initially entered the transfer portal, is back and will have an expanded role this season. It doesn’t stop there, as five-star freshman, Ian Jackson joins the fold, as arguably the most talented player on the roster. All in all, the Tar Heels have as many scoring options in the backcourt in quite some time and will be the engine that drives the success of the team.
Run Carolina Run: It took some time, but Hubert Davis finally has the roster he envisioned when he got hired. This roster is as versatile as any in his four seasons as Carolina’s head coach, and the lineups of positionless basketball are endless. With that in mind, this is a roster built to score, and score often. Davis told the media he expects UNC to be the fastest team in the country from foul line to foul line, and the crazy thing, is they are built be. Not only does Carolina have guards to push the pace, or wings to run the floor, but the bigs are more athletic than what’s come through the program in recent years, and can make plays in transition, which frankly we haven’t seen consistently since Tyler Zeller and John Henson. While winning is the ultimate goal, and this team is going to win their fair share of basketball games, they will be among the more entertaining teams in the country and will play a style of basketball, that fans became accustomed to watching in the mid-2000s.
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