NCAA Basketball: Top 25 team frontcourts heading into 2021-22 season

Last season, North Carolina may have had the best collection of big men on paper. However, there were some issues with the group of four, whether it involved spacing or quite frankly, some being played more than others despite the production saying something different. The result was that Walker Kessler and Garrison Brooks transferred out, while Day’Ron Sharpe went on to become a first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

The good news for the program is that new head coach Hubert Davis was able to convince last season’s leading scorer and rebounder Armando Bacot (12.3 ppg and 7.8 rpg) to come back for his sophomore campaign. And joining him is a trio of transfers who all bring something different to the table.

The first pickup was Brady Manek, a four-year starting forward at Oklahoma who was consistently a double-digit scorer. He’s a pure stretch forward that can shoot three-pointers and his spacing will be a big importance for the Tar Heels, who have typically used two post-players at the same time.

Manek can play together will either Bacot or newcomer Dawson Garcia, a center transfer from Marquette that led his team in scoring and rebounding as well. He has high potential as a scorer and rebounder and with improved shooting could be even better than Bacot, although they’re very similar as frontcourt players.

The fact that Virginia combo forward transfer and Justin McCoy and top-50 incoming forward Dontrez Styles flies under the radar this offseason shows how hyped Tar Heel fans are with their top trio of bigs. On paper, they just fit well with one another and could unlock everyone’s potential, including the guards on the roster now that there will be plenty of more spacing on the court.