NCAA Basketball: Strengths and weaknesses of each top-25 team for 2022-23 season

3. North Carolina Tar Heels

Strength: Best starting five in the country

When the Tar Heels played just six guys in their national title run in March, the starting lineup that including guards RJ Davis and Caleb Davis, defensive wing Leaky Black and forwards, Brady Manek and Armando Bacot, was arguably the best in NCAA Basketball. Manek is gone but is replaced by Northwestern transfer Pete Nance, who was just as good a three-point shooter (45%) as Manek but is considered a better defender and can play the five-spot as well.

With most lineups going 7-8 at most, North Carolina’s core is in great shape. The four starters outside of Black can score 70-80 ppg on their own on a given night, while the senior wing himself is one of the best defenders in the country. The starting five alone makes them good enough to potentially get back to the Final Four.

Weakness: Guards’ shooting inefficiency

Similar to Auburn’s backcourt, Love (37%) and Davis (43%) weren’t incredibly efficient from the field. Of course, when you play 35+ mpg, you’re going to put up a lot of shots. The Tar Heels were able to get away with it until the national title game, thanks in part to Bacot’s ability to haul down offensive rebounds.

But games like the late-season loss to Pittsburgh show that North Carolina can fall short when the guards aren’t on their games. Love, in particular, will have to improve those shooting numbers as a junior in order for the team to remain in top-tier of NCAA Basketball.