A first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament this postseason marked the end of a pretty disappointing season for the 2024-25 campaign for head coach Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels (23-14, 13-7 ACC).
UNC was 1-8 this past regular season and in the postseason against AP Top 25 opponents, including going 0-4 against ranked opponents in ACC conference play. The Tar Heels slipped into the NCAA Tournament as part of the first four, and then dominated the 11-seed San Diego State Aztecs last week to get to the Round of 64 for the second year in a row and third in the past four postseasons.
This was a very up and down season for head coach Davis and the Tar Heels this past season. Hitting the portal this week for the spring window early this offseason will begin the rebuilding roster process for Davis and the Tar Heels for 2025-26.
RJ Davis, G
Super senior guard RJ Davis will go down as one of the all-time great guards in UNC men's basketball history. Davis scored over 2,500 career points and started over 150 career games for the Tar Heels since 2020 over the past half-decade.
The reigning ACC Player of the Year and consensus AP First-Team All-American, Davis led the Tar Heels to multiple impressive comeback victories in ACC conference play and the postseason over the past few months during the 2024-25 campaign.
Despite not getting the Tar Heels to the Final Four in the postseason over the past half decade, Davis proved to be one of the best and most reliable scorers not just for UNC's backcourt, but in the entire ACC conference.
Jae'lyn Withers, F
After spending the past two seasons with the Tar Heels in the ACC, super senior forward Jae'lyn Withers is leaving the program due to exhausted eligibility early this offseason. Withers has been a key contributor to UNC's forward rotation since 2023, averaging over a dozen minutes per game coming off the bench in most games in the last couple of seasons.
Withers stepped up down the stretch, scoring in double figures in over a half dozen games since mid-February in ACC conference play. He started every game for the Tar Heels frontcourt for UNC's frontcourt since Feb. 10 against Clemson.
Losing Withers will create a void of proven experience and leadership on both ends of the floor in UNC's forward rotation for the upcoming 2025-26 season in the ACC.
Elliot Cadeau, G
Moving on from starting sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau signaled a turning of the page to a new era for the starting backcourt unit for the Tar Heels early this offseason for 2025. Cadeau led the ACC in total assists this past regular season and made a conference-high 37 starts in the over three dozen games he played for the Tar Heels.
Yet, a combination of turnover issues and scoring inconsistencies on the offensive end down the stretch and the postseason caused some bad results for the Tar Heels in bigger games in the ACC and the postseason for the NCAA Tournament.
Cadeau officially entered the transfer portal on March 25, according to a report from On3's Pete Nakos earlier this week.