UNC Basketball: 2022-23 season preview and outlook for the Tar Heels

CHAPEL HILL, NC - JANUARY 11: Ramses, the mascot for the North Carolina Tar Heels, cheers before a game against the Clemson Tigers on January 11, 2020 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Clemson won 76-79 in overtime. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /

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R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Love, Davis, and Leaky

Now that we’ve briefly litigated who Manek’s replacement will be, let’s get to the meat of why UNC’s preseason expectations are so high — the four returning starters.

Caleb Love and R.J. Davis had similar struggles as freshmen in the 2020-21 season. Both had turnover issues. Both struggled with their outside shot. Last season, Love and Davis’ combined turnover percentage dropped by 28.1% last season while their combined 3-point percentage increased by 23.4% on almost double the number of attempts.

Love and Davis’ per-game numbers naturally increase as a result of those improvements. Having two talented and now experienced point guards is a luxury that Hubert Davis does not take for granted considering each player’s usage rate last season.

Leaky Black is the glue guy that every truly great team needs. He guards the other team’s best perimeter player or forward and is willing to do all the dirty work that it takes to win games in college basketball. That might sound cliché, but it’s the absolute truth and anyone in or around UNC’s program will tell you the exact same thing. What he brings to the table for UNC is irreplaceable. As a bonus, he made almost a 3-pointer a game over the last two months of the season — just enough to keep the defense honest.

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