For the first time since the 2018-19 season, North Carolina will tip off a new campaign without Armando Bacot in the starting lineup. Bacot anchored the Tar Heels’ rotation for five seasons as the program transitioned between eras, starting 168 games and setting school records for career rebounds and double-doubles while scoring 2,347 points.
Naturally, the biggest question for UNC entering the 2024-25 season is how it will replace a program legend who dominated the paint for a half-decade. There is no star transfer center entering, nor is there a McDonald’s All-American coming to the frontcourt as coach Hubert Davis enters his fourth season.
But the Tar Heels may not need an all-conference performer at center, because they have a stockpile of star power on the perimeter. With first-team All-American RJ Davis using his fifth and final season, Elliot Cadeau returning to build off a good freshman campaign and two five-star freshmen in the fold, UNC is loaded on the outside.
Duke’s top-ranked recruiting class is stealing much of college basketball’s offseason buzz. But just down Tobacco Road, UNC has a top-five class of its own to pair with a nice core of returners. As the 2024-25 season approaches, we are breaking down the rosters of the sport’s top programs. For this installment, we’re taking a look at North Carolina and attempting to decipher what the Tar Heels’ lineup could look like as they try and repeat as ACC champions.
Projected starting lineup
1. Elliot Cadeau
6-1 | 180 | So.
Cadeau started 31 of 37 games for UNC as a freshman, averaging 7.3 points and 4.1 assists. His poor 3-point shooting (18.9%) was a problem, but he actually rated as UNC’s most-efficient defender according to evanmiya.com. If he can follow the career arc of fellow undersized point guard Dajuan Harris of Kansas and begin to make opponents respect his outside shot, it will open things up for the Tar Heels and…
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