North Carolina Tar Heels
If 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predictions are any indication, it seems as though North Carolina is out of the running to potentially land Matthew Hurt. Of the 19 predictions that are currently on the site, not one leans in favor of the Tar Heels and that is not a great sign. With that said, though, UNC is reportedly among the four teams he is focusing on and I don’t want to be the one to count out head coach Roy Williams. Thus, here we are. With regards to the future roster construction of North Carolina, it makes complete sense to be targeting Hurt.
At the conclusion of this season, the Tar Heels will be waving goodbye to a plethora of frontcourt talents. This includes the likes of Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson to graduation as well as Nassir Little to the NBA. In the backcourt, Kenny Williams is graduating and Coby White is likely going pro. Because of this, it is clear that Coach Williams will be eager to secure commitments from some of the top 2019 recruits in order to keep the program in the nation’s top-10 for next season.
With regards to North Carolina’s current outlook for 2019-20, the program has already landed two recruits in the form of big man Armando Bacot (No. 21) and point guard Jeremiah Francis (No. 183). Neither of these commits plays the same position as Hurt and therefore would not affect the potential playing time for Hurt should he choose to come to Chapel Hill. And while it might not seem likely that Hurt will join the Tar Heels based on expert picks, Bacot seemed quite sure when he picked UNC as the eventual school for the talented power forward: “It’s a done deal.”