NCAA Basketball: Ranking of top 25 team backcourts for 2023-24 season

19. North Carolina Tar Heels

At the start of last season, it was thought that the Tar Heels had the top backcourt in all of NCAA Basketball with RJ Davis and Caleb Love. It ultimately didn’t work out, with the team missing the Big Dance altogether. Love, who led the team with 16.7 ppg, transferred out to Arizona, while bench players such as D’Marco Dunn and Puff Johnson also left.

So along with sophomore Seth Trimble coming back is Davis, who averaged 16.1 ppg and 3.2 apg. The 6’0 guard shot 44% from the field and 36% from deep, going for 26 points against NC State. Joining him in the backcourt is Elliott Cadeau, a five-star prospect who reclassified to join the 2023 class. There are risks with those who do that but if it works out, the Heels backcourt will have great potential.

To help with the scoring production without Love around is Cormac Ryan. He’s a 6’5 senior transfer from Notre Dame, coming off averaging 12.5 ppg and 2.5 apg on 34% shooting from deep. Another addition was Paxson Wojcik, a 6’4 guard from Brown who produced 14.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 3.2 apg.

There’s a lot to like with this group if the pieces gel together, which didn’t work out last season. But if Cadeau hits the “freshman wall” a bit too much, trouble could be ahead for UNC.