Projecting Who's Staying and Who's Leaving from UNC After NCAA Tournament Loss

While the hope of a winning a national title has wilted, North Carolina still enjoyed a productive 2023-24 season.

Last year, the Tar Heels missed the men's NCAA tournament. However, they bounced back quickly as the ACC regular-season champions to earn a No. 1 seed in March Madness.

But as UNC begins to move past its disappointing loss to Alabama in the Sweet 16, an important offseason has arrived.

Hubert Davis and his coaching staff must handle a slew of departures from a veteran roster, including longtime center Armando Bacot and potentially star guard RJ Davis. Fortunately for the Heels, though, a couple of 5-star prospects will soon arrive in Chapel Hill.

In a dream world, North Carolina manages to keep RJ Davis and Harrison Ingram to lead the 2024-25 roster.

The reality, unfortunately, is both probably will not return.

While I'm projecting them to leave, there is a real chance Davis remains in Chapel Hill. He's simply a borderline NBA prospect, it appears, so staying in school is a legitimate option for the veteran guard.

Elliot Cadeau may take part in the 2024 pre-draft process, but a minor scoring impact as a freshman likely will delay his NBA future. Seth Trimble should return alongside him in the backcourt, while forwards Jae'Lyn Withers and Jalen Washington are primed for increased roles.

Zayden High, a 4-star in the 2023 recruiting class, will be expected to join the rotation, too.

In short: Possibly every 10-point scorer.

Armando Bacot has finally used up his five seasons at UNC, so the double-double machine won't be haunting the dreams of ACC coaches any longer. Cormac Ryan's time on the college court is over, too.

Both top scorer RJ Davis and key wing Harrison Ingram could return next season. Davis, however, may prefer to pursue a professional career after his fourth year, while B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projects Ingram as an early second-round NBA draft pick.

Reserve guard Paxson Wojcik is also out of eligibility, while the Tar Heels may have a couple of backups enter the transfer portal.

Highlighted by a pair of 5-star talents, North Carolina is set to bring in the nation's seventh-best recruiting class.

Ian Jackson is the No. 9 overall prospect, two spots ahead of in-state wing Drake Powell. Both of them are projected to hold important roles as freshmen, given the potential rebuild on the perimeter.

On that note: Davis took control of the program in 2021, and UNC has regularly been active with transfers—most recently with Ryan and Ingram, among others. The full expectation, particularly if Davis and Ingram leave, is the Tar Heels will be scouring the portal.

The final incoming recruit is 4-star center James Brown, the No. 72 player in the 2024 cycle.