NCAA Basketball: Top 25 team frontcourts for 2022-23 season

3. North Carolina Tar Heels

There’s no more Brady Manek for the Tar Heels but they were able to land a potential upgrade in the transfer portal this offseason in Pete Nance. The former Northwestern forward averaged team-highs 14.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg last season, while shooting 50% from the field and a whopping 45% from three-point range.

Nance can do just about it all on both ends and as a 6’10 athletic forward, adds versatility as well. He had big games such as 28 points and 14 rebounds against Maryland, along with 19 points and 13 rebounds versus Minnesota.

Nance will be paired with Armando Bacot, who emerged as one of the best overall players in NCAA Basketball last postseason. On the season, the 6’10 big man averaged 16.3 ppg and 13.1 rpg on 57% shooting from the field. Bacot had a record 16.5 rpg in the Tar Heels run to the title game, including 20 points and 22 rebounds in the Elite 8 win over Saint Peter’s. He had 22 rebounds in a win over Virginia in the regular season, along with a career-high 29 points as well.

Bacot puts up a ton of points and rebounds and was great in the NCAA Tournament and comes back as a National Player of the Year candidate. And as good as the duo of Bacot and Nance will be, UNC still has plenty of depth behind them as well. Puff Johnson had good games coming off the bench, while combo forwards Justin McCoy and Dontrez Styles are back. Plus, there’s a pair of four-star incoming freshmen in Tyler Nickel and Jalen Washington. They might not play much but in case of injury, the Tar Heels will be just fine.