Believe it or not, the Tar Heels play basketball tonight, as they take the court in an exhibition contest, against St. Augustine’s. This is the first time we’ve publicly seen Carolina play basketball since they lost to Virginia last March in the ACC Tournament, as the program failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. After an off-season of roster turnover, as Hubert Davis escorted multiple players out of his program while welcoming a number of transfers into the program, it is time to turn the page from last season and see what this team has to offer in 2023-24.
Another tradition that Hubert Davis has carried over after the retirement of Roy Williams, is to schedule an exhibition against a small in-state school, as St. Augustine hails from Raleigh, NC, and is a Division II program. Last year, the Falcons went 8-18, with a 5-12 record in the CIAA.
St. Augustine’s will enter tonight’s game severely overmatched, making it hard to put any stock into what happens on the court tonight. With that in mind though, the Tar Heels are arguably the most intriguing team in the ACC this season, and this is the first time we get to see them on the court together, after an off-season of positive vibes coming from Hubert Davis, and his players.
Given that St. Augistine’s is a Division II program that competes in the CIAA, the Tar Heels are going to have the advantage in virtually every area on the court tonight. Even so, this time of the year is when you build good habits that you hope translate into the non-conference season, that will carry over to league play.
Transfers: The transfer portal has turned both college football and college basketball upside down, and this off-season it really made its impact on the UNC program. The Tar Heels saw 7 players exit the program via the portal, including Caleb Love, and fan favorite Puff Johnson. That meant Hubert Davis had to work to do, to restock the talent and depth on the roster, and he had to find it in the portal. Davis brought in former McDonald’s All-American, Harrison Ingram, veteran ACC players Cormac Ryan and Jae’Lyn Withers, along with Brown transfer Paxon Wojcik. This is the first roster that fits the vision of what Hubert Davis wants his program to look like on the basketball court, and with it coming together with an influx of transfers, it’s just another reminder that the program is in a different era than ever before.
Elliot Cadeau: The reclassified freshman is the player everyone is anxious to see play tonight, just to see how legit of a player he’s going to be. It was obvious when the team held its annual Blue/White scrimmage during the Live Action event, that Ceadua isn’t scared of the moment, and is ready to make an impact, whether he starts in the backcourt with R.J. Davis, or leads the second unit off the bench.
Rotation: It’s unknown at the time, what Hubert Davis’s starting five is going to look like when the season officially begins, but tonight can give us a glimpse into what it could look like. Davis has struggled to have a consistent rotation during his two seasons as the head coach, although he insists that the players make the rotation, and not him. You are going to see some funky lineups tonight like you always do in these types of settings, but he should treat certain situations like they are in-game, which will hopefully give us an idea of what the rotation will look like at least in the non-conference season.
Shot Selection: After one of the worst shooting seasons last year, Hubert Davis has emphasized better shot selection entering the new season. Only three players have the green light, to shoot the three ball (R.J. Davis, Paxon Wojcik, and Cormac Ryan), but how will Harrison Ingram pick and choose when to hunt his shot, now that he’s surrounded by better individual and collective talent?
Ball Movement: In addition to better shot selection, another point of emphasis this off-season, has been better ball movement, in an effort to create better shots. This is where Cadeau is going to make his biggest impact, as he’s a pass-first point guard, and loves to get his teammates involved. Even when Carolina made a run to the national title game two seasons ago, Carolina’s ball movement left a lot to be desired, given how ball-dominant Caleb Love was. The ball movement was better in the Blue/White scrimmage a few weeks ago, but now we’ll see what it looks like against another opponent.
TV Info: Tonight’s exhibition will start at 7:30 PM, and will be streamed on ESPN+ and ACC Network Xtra.
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