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Carolina basketball is still on the bubble.
When ESPN’s way-too-early top 25 came out, it was déjà blue all over again. The Tar Heels were barely holding onto the NCAA bubble when they got a controversial bid to the Big Dance with a spot in the First Four.
Early prognosticators are making us feel the same way, especially Jeff Borzello’s poll. You had to keep scrolling and scrolling until you got to the very bottom and Carolina was No. 25. Maybe Drake Powell’s potential return changes that.
But having virtually lost his entire roster to eligibility or the transfer portal, Hubert Davis’ rebuilding job doesn’t compare to what 2023-24 turned out to be. Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram fit like a glove and the Heels won the ACC regular season, earned a No. 1 NCAA seed and reached the Sweet 16.
I can’t remember where that team was ranked in the preseason polls, but I don’t think it was No. 25, which means this season is predicted to be about where last season’s team finished. Powell’s return would be a huge help.
Borzello’s poll is made up of the usual suspects, Houston, Purdue, Louisville, UConn, Michigan, Kentucky, Arkansas, Duke, St. John’s and UCLA in the top 10. Six from the Big Ten, seven from the SEC, five from the Big 12, four from the Big East and three from the ACC. The more things change, dot-dot-dot.
It makes sense that the best teams have the most money and will dominate the transfer portal. Louisville has tradition but only returned to the elite level under coach Pat Kelsey. Duke is Duke. But UNC is tinkering with also-ran status.
Next in line are Illinois, San Diego State, Baylor, Creighton and Oregon, all arguably better programs than Carolina.
The Heels have flipped their problem from last season, when they had too many guards and not enough big men, which resulted in one of the worst rebounding teams in recent history.
The next iteration has too many big men and a thin and/or unproven perimeter. Seven-foot Henri Veesaar was not a starter at Arizona but came on strong at the end of last season. Hopefully, Ven-Allen Lubin will withdraw from the draft and resume where he ended last season. Caleb Wilson is supposedly an exceptional athlete, but he is 6-9, not super strong and, yes, he’s a freshman. Is James Brown good enough to increase his three minutes per game? And will Zayden High rejoin the team and show his potential from two years ago?
Seth Trimble is the only veteran in the back court, and the Heels are lucky to have their captain and rock of the team as a senior. But he is not a pure point guard, so Davis will have to depend on two freshmen and a transfer to handle the ball and hit some three-pointers.
Did Carolina squeeze into the top 25 like it did the NCAA tournament? Only time will tell.
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Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Chansky’s Notebook: Deja Blue? Chapelboro.com.
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