NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 8 teams in 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament

3. North Carolina Tar Heels

2022-23 season record: 20-13 (11-9 ACC)

Until the start of next season, it’s always going to stick with the Heels that they were the first-ever AP preseason No. 1 team to miss the NCAA Tournament entirely. But will this roster overhaul be good enough to get them back into the mix? Almost everyone is gone outside of their two best players, Armando Bacot (15.9 ppg and 10.4 rpg) and guard RJ Davis (16.1 ppg and 3.2 apg).

Outside of veterans Leaky Black and Pete Nance, everyone else entered the transfer portal. The includes Caleb Love, who is off to Arizona. He was replaced by Elliot Cadeau, a five-star combo guard that reclassed to play next season. Joining him is Cormac Ryan, a double-digit scoring transfer from Notre Dame known for his shooting.

In the frontcourt to support Bacot are a few newcomers. Most notably, Harrison Ingram. He’s a former five-star prospect that started two years at Stanford and was a double-digit scorer and leading passer from the wing position. Jae’lyn Withers will get some minutes coming over from Louisville, while James Okonkwo was a late addition after the recent West Virginia roster exodus.

This team isn’t going to get No. 1 votes this time around but there’s definitely potential for them to bounce back in a nice way. But there’s going to be plenty of pressure on the team and coach Hubert Davis as soon as the season starts. Look for them to be a main attraction in the Battle 4 Atlantis for reasons other than normal.