UNC Basketball: 2023-24 season preview and outlook for the Tar Heels

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 13: Head coach Hubert Davis talks with R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half of their game against the Miami Hurricanes at the Dean E. Smith Center on February 13, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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Head coach Hubert Davis UNC Basketball (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

UNC Basketball 2023-24 season outlook

The Heels crumbled under the weight of big expectations last year, so it will be fascinating to see how the new-look squad Hubert Davis has put together can compare.

Many Carolina fans are of the belief that, in losing Caleb Love and Pete Nance, the Heels could enjoy addition by subtraction. Love and Nance are talented players, but Love shot Carolina out of games last year, while Nance disappeared for long stretches. The roster this year is undoubtedly more versatile, with Ryan, Withers, and Wojcik bringing an outside shooting threat that last year’s Heels sorely lacked.

Hubert Davis has shown a propensity for playing his starters big minutes, but one of the Carolina’s strengths this year is its depth. The schedule is no joke, so Davis needs to keep his players, especially Bacot and RJ Davis, fresh. Seth Trimble, Zayden High, and Jalen Washington are only going to improve if they get minutes, so we should know within the first two weeks of the season if Davis has taken this to heart.

Last year’s Heels finished 20-13 and finished seventh in the ACC, and that seems like the worst-case scenario for this team. The ACC should be better, but outside of Duke and Miami, no teams are projected to be true contenders.

Next. Preseason top-25 power rankings for 2023-24. dark

In the midst of last year’s struggles, many UNC fans quickly forgot the magic of 2022’s Final Four run, so this is a critical year for Hubert Davis. A top-three finish in the ACC and a return to the NCAA Tournament is a reasonable goal for the Heels, and if the new transfers jell with the returning players, a deep run in the tournament is possible.

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