2023–24 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 7
Record12–3 (4–0 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDean E. Smith Center
2023–24 ACC men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 7 North Carolina4–0 1.00012–3  .800
No. 11т Duke3–1 .75012–3  .800
NC State3–1 .75011–4  .733
Wake Forest3–1 .75011–4  .733
Florida State3–1 .7509–6  .600
Miami (FL)2–2 .50011–4  .733
Syracuse2–2 .50011–4  .733
Virginia2–2 .50011–4  .733
Virginia Tech2–2 .50010–5  .667
Notre Dame2–3 .4007–9  .438
No. 21 Clemson1–3 .25011–4  .733
Boston College1–3 .25010–5  .667
Georgia Tech1–3 .2508–7  .533
Louisville1–3 .2506–9  .400
Pittsburgh1–4 .20010–6  .625
† 2024 ACC tournament winner
As of January 12, 2024
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023–24 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by coach Hubert Davis, who enters his third season as UNC's head coach, and is assisted by Jeff Lebo, Sean May, and Brad Frederick. The Tar Heels play their home games at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Previous season

After starters Caleb Love, R. J. Davis, Armando Bacot, and Leaky Black, who had been key pieces in the 2021–22 team's National Runner-Up finish, decided to return for the 2022–23 season, the Tar Heels earned the No. 1 ranking in the preseason AP Poll. Despite the lofty expectations and desires to win the championship that had narrowly eluded them the season prior, the 2022–23 Tar Heels struggled mightily, finishing the season 20–13 (11–9 in conference play) and missing the NCAA tournament altogether. The 2022–23 team became the first preseason No. 1 to miss the NCAA tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. After missing the "big dance," the Tar Heels issued a statement declining a bid for the NIT.[1]

Bacot, despite battling ankle and shoulder injuries that caused him to miss some time, proved to be one of the lone bright spots on the season, as neither Love, Davis, nor Black returned to their form from the 2022 tournament run. Bacot set all-time program records for career double-doubles by passing Billy Cunningham's school record of 61, and he also became the all-time leading rebounder in program history by passing Tyler Hansbrough's record as well.[2]

Offseason

After declining a bid to the NIT, the offseason began sooner than many in Chapel Hill had expected. On March 13, 2023, the Transfer Portal officially opened, and like many other programs, the Tar Heels immediately lost players, with first-year reserve forward Tyler Nickel[3] and senior Justin McKoy[4] both entering the portal. Nickel transferred to Virginia Tech, and McKoy chose to spend his final season of eligibility at Hawaii.[5][6]

Following Nickel and McKoy, sophomore guard/forward Dontrez Styles announced his intentions to leave the Tar Heels and enter the transfer portal.[7] He committed to Georgetown in April.[8]

Puff Johnson also entered his name into the transfer portal, on March 22, 2023.[9] He later committed to Penn State.[10]

Leaky Black and Pete Nance, who had both used their extra year of eligibility provided by the COVID-19 pandemic for the 2022–23 season also left the team, as both had their eligibility expire after using their fifth-year options.

Later that week, both R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot announced their decisions to return for another season in Chapel Hill.[11][12]

Reserve forward Will Shaver announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on March 25, 2023.[13] After originally committing to Belmont, Shaver announced in a tweet that he had reopened his transfer recruitment.[14] He later committed to UAB, deciding to return to his hometown of Birmingham.[15]

After much speculation as to what his future would hold, Caleb Love decided to enter the transfer portal and play his senior season elsewhere.[16] Love originally committed to Michigan,[17] but decommitted after reported issues with transfer credits.[18] He later announced his commitment to Arizona, reuniting with former Tar Heel assistant Steve Robinson, who is currently an assistant at Arizona.[19]

The Tar Heels sought to fill these departures by utilizing the transfer portal to bring in new players. They received their first commitment when former Brown guard Paxson Wojcik committed to the Tar Heels for his final season of eligibility.[20] He is the son of Doug Wojcik, who was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 2000–2003 under Matt Doherty.

The team received its second transfer portal commitment in April, as former Louisville forward, and Charlotte native, Jae'Lyn Withers announced his decision to return to his home state and transfer to Carolina.[21]

Later in the month, former Notre Dame guard Cormac Ryan committed to the Tar Heels following an official visit to Chapel Hill.[22]

Coach Davis' Tar Heels received another portal commitment on April 22, when former Stanford wing Harrison Ingram, the 2022 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, committed to the Tar Heels.[23]

On May 11, sophomore guard D'Marco Dunn entered the transfer portal.[24]

Also in May, guard Elliot Cadeau, who had been committed to the Tar Heels as part of their 2024 recruiting class, announced his intentions to reclassify and head to Chapel Hill for the 2023-24 season.[25]

After a few months of relative quiet, the Tar Heels received another transfer portal commitment in July, when former West Virginia reserve big man James Okonkwo committed to the team.[26]

Departures

North Carolina Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Leaky Black1G6'9"205GraduateConcord, NCExhausted eligibility
D'Marco Dunn11G6'5"190SophomoreTucson, AZTransferred to Penn State[27]
Puff Johnson14G/F6'8"200JuniorMoon Township, PATransferred to Penn State[10]
Caleb Love2G6'4"200JuniorSt. Louis, MOTransferred to Arizona[28]
Justin McKoy22F6'8"220SeniorRaleigh, NCTransferred to Hawaii[29]
Pete Nance32F6'11"230GraduateAkron, OHExhausted eligibility
Tyler Nickel24G/F6'7"220FreshmanHarrisonburg, VATransferred to Virginia Tech[30]
Will Shaver21F6'10"260Redshirt FreshmanBirmingham, ALTransferred to UAB[31]
Dontrez Styles3G/F6'6"210SophomoreKinston, NCTransferred to Georgetown[32]

Additions

Incoming Transfers

North Carolina Incoming Transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School Years Remaining Date Committed
Harrison Ingram55F6'7"230JuniorDallas, TXStanford2April 22, 2023[23]
James Okonkwo32F6'8"240JuniorMaidenhead, EnglandWest Virginia2July 6, 2023[26]
Cormac Ryan3G6'5195GraduateNew York, NYNotre Dame1April 20, 2023[22]
Jae'Lyn Withers24F6'9"220SeniorCharlotte, NCLouisville2April 11, 2023[21]
Paxson Wojcik8G6'5"200GraduateCharleston, SCBrown1March 27, 2023[20]

Recruiting Class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Elliot Cadeau
PG		 West Orange, NJ Link Academy (MO) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Dec 28, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 91
Zayden High
F		 Rockwall, TX Compass Prep (AZ) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Oct 16, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 10  247Sports: 13
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "North Carolina 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  • "2023 North Carolina Tar Heels Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 30, 2023.

Roster

2023–24 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 1 Zayden High 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)225 lb (102 kg) FrCompass Prep Rockwall, TX
G 2 Elliot Cadeau 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrLink Academy (MO) West Orange, NJ
G 3 Cormac Ryan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) GSNotre Dame New York, NY
G 4 R. J. Davis 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)180 lb (82 kg) SrArchbishop Stepinac White Plains, NY
F/C 5 Armando Bacot 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)240 lb (109 kg) GSIMG Academy Richmond, VA
G 7 Seth Trimble 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)195 lb (88 kg) SoMenomonee Falls Menomonee Falls, WI
G 8 Paxson Wojcik 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) GSBrown Charleston, SC
F 13 Jalen Washington 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)230 lb (104 kg) SoWest Side Gary, IN
G 14 Creighton Lebo 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)180 lb (82 kg) SrGreenfield Greenville, NC
G 22 Rob Landry (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg) SrNCSSM Greensboro, NC
F 24 Jae'Lyn Withers 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg) GSLouisville Charlotte, NC
F 32 James Okonkwo 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)240 lb (109 kg) JrWest Virginia Maidenhead, England
F 34 Duwe Farris (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) GSMyers Park Charlotte, NC
F 55 Harrison Ingram 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)235 lb (107 kg) JrStanford Dallas, TX
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 5, 2023

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 27, 2023*
7:30 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+		 No. 19 St. Augustine’s W 117–53  –
  22 – Davis  11 – High  4 – Tied  Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
Regular Season
November 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ACCN		 No. 19 Radford W 86–70  1–0
  23 – Bacot  15 – Bacot  6 – Cadeau  Dean Smith Center (17,331)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 12, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ACCN		 No. 19 Lehigh W 90–68  2–0
  22 – Tied  20 – Bacot  3 – Tied  Dean Smith Center (18,608)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 17, 2023*
8:00 p.m., ACCN		 No. 20 UC Riverside W 77–52  3–0
  21 – Bacot  9 – Ingram  4 – Davis  Dean Smith Center (18,226)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 22, 2023*
12:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 14 vs. Northern Iowa
Battle 4 Atlantis Quarterfinals		 W 91–69  4–0
  16 – Ingram  9 – Ingram  4 – Davis  Imperial Arena (1,342)
Paradise Island, Bahamas
November 23, 2023*
2:30 p.m., ESPN		 No. 14 vs. Villanova
Battle 4 Atlantis Semifinals		 L 81–83 OT 4–1
  23 – Davis  18 – Bacot  5 – Cadeau  Imperial Arena (1,500)
Paradise Island, Bahamas
November 24, 2023*
1:00 pm, ESPN2		 No. 14 vs. No. 20 Arkansas
Battle 4 Atlantis 3rd Place Game		 W 87–72  5–1
  30 – Davis  10 – Ingram  6 – Ingram  Imperial Arena (1,456)
Paradise Island, Bahamas
November 29, 2023*
7:15 p.m., ESPN		 No. 17 No. 10 Tennessee
ACC–SEC Challenge		 W 100–92  6–1
  27 – Davis  11 – Bacot  10 – Cadeau  Dean Smith Center (20,756)
Chapel Hill, NC
December 2, 2023
2:00 p.m., ACCN		 No. 17 Florida State W 78–70  7–1
(1–0)		  27 – Davis  13 – Bacot  5 – Davis  Dean Smith Center (20,285)
Chapel Hill, NC
December 5, 2023*
9:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 9 vs. No. 5 UConn
Jimmy V Classic		 L 76–87  7–2
  26 – Davis  13 – Bacot  5 – Tied  Madison Square Garden (17,873)
New York, NY
December 16, 2023*
5:30 p.m., CBS		 No. 9 vs. No. 14 Kentucky
CBS Sports Classic/Rivalry		 L 83–87  7–3
  27 – Davis  7 – Davis  4 – Davis  State Farm Arena (17,058)
Atlanta, GA
December 20, 2023*
9:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 11 vs. No. 7 Oklahoma
Jumpman Invitational		 W 81–69  8–3
  23 – Davis  8 – Bacot  5 – Davis  Spectrum Center (16,344)
Charlotte, NC
December 29, 2023*
8:00 p.m., ACCN		 No. 9 Charleston Southern W 105–60  9–3
  20 – Davis  9 – Bacot  10 – Davis  Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 8 at Pittsburgh W 70–57  10–3
(2–0)		  16 – Bacot  15 – Ingram  4 – Davis  Petersen Events Center (9,770)
Pittsburgh, PA
January 6, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN2		 No. 8 at No. 16 Clemson W 65–55  11–3
(3–0)		  14 – Tied  16 – Bacot  4 – Ryan  Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)
Clemson, SC
January 10, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 7 at NC State
Rivalry		 W 67–54  12–3
(4–0)		  16 – Davis  19 – Ingram  6 – Cadeau  PNC Arena (19,500)
Raleigh, NC
January 13, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN		 No. 7 Syracuse     Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
January 17, 2024
9:00 p.m., ACCN		 Louisville     Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
January 20, 2024
2:15 p.m., The CW		 at Boston College     Conte Forum 
Chestnut Hill, MA
January 22, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN		 Wake Forest
Rivalry		     Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
January 27, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2		 at Florida State     Donald L. Tucker Civic Center 
Tallahassee, FL
January 30, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN		 at Georgia Tech     McCamish Pavilion 
Atlanta, GA
February 3, 2024
6:30 p.m., ESPN		 Duke
Rivalry		     Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
February 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU		 Clemson     Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
February 10, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2		 at Miami (FL)     Watsco Center 
Coral Gables, FL
February 13, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN		 at Syracuse     JMA Wireless Dome 
Syracuse, NY
February 17, 2024
2:00 p.m., ACCN		 Virginia Tech     Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
February 24, 2024
2:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2		 at Virginia     John Paul Jones Arena 
Charlottesville, VA
February 26, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN		 Miami (FL)     Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
March 2, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN		 NC State
Rivalry		     Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
March 5, 2024
7:00 p.m., ACCN		 Notre Dame     Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
March 9, 2024
6:30 p.m., ESPN		 at Duke
Rivalry		     Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
ACC Tournament
March 12–16, 2024
TBD, TBD		 vs. TBD     Capital One Arena 
Washington, D.C.
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

    [33]

    Rankings

    Ranking movements
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    Week
    PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
    AP192014179911987Not released
    Coaches21181416109131197

    *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

    References

    1. ↑ Cobb, David (March 12, 2023). "North Carolina declines NIT invite after becoming first preseason No. 1 team to miss NCAA Tournament". cbssports.com. CBS Sports. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
    2. ↑ Pearson, Zack (January 22, 2023). "PHOTOS: Tyler Hansbrough celebrates Armando Bacot breaking record". Retrieved March 13, 2023.
    3. ↑ McMillan, Sherrell (March 13, 2023). "BREAKING: UNC Freshman Tyler Nickel Enters Transfer Portal". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
    4. ↑ Martin, Ross (March 13, 2023). "UNC's Justin McKoy Enters Transfer Portal". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
    5. ↑ Tipton, Joe (March 30, 2023). "North Carolina transfer Tyler Nickel commits to Virginia Tech". on3.com. On3 Sports. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
    6. ↑ Shimabuku, Christian (April 4, 2023). "Hawaii basketball gets commitment from North Carolina's Justin McKoy". khon2.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
    7. ↑ Tipton, Joe [@tiptonedits] (March 17, 2023). "NEWS: North Carolina guard Dontrez Styles plans to enter the transfer portal, he tells @On3sports" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    8. ↑ Delahanty, Nick (April 9, 2023). "UNC Basketball: Dontrez Styles announces transfer decision". keepingitheel.com. Fansided. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
    9. ↑ Sherman, Ben (March 22, 2023). "UNC's Puff Johnson to Enter Transfer Portal". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
    10. 1 2 DiPaola, Jerry (April 26, 2023). "Former Moon star Puff Johnson decides to transfer from North Carolina to Penn State". triblive.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
    11. ↑ Sherman, Ben (March 22, 2023). "Armando Bacot Returning to UNC". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
    12. ↑ Smith, Adam (March 24, 2023). "RJ Davis Staying at UNC for Senior Season". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
    13. ↑ @VerbalCommits (March 25, 2023). "North Carolina F Will Shaver has entered the transfer portal" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    14. ↑ Shaver, Will [@willshaver6] (May 7, 2023). "Thank you to the Belmont staff for your recruitment and love yall showed me..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    15. ↑ Shaver, Will [@willshaver6] (May 11, 2023). "City on my back Fr" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    16. ↑ Smith, Adam (March 27, 2023). "BREAKING: Caleb Love Leaving UNC, Entering Transfer Portal". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
    17. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (April 7, 2023). "Former North Carolina guard Caleb Love transferring to Michigan". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
    18. ↑ Ford, Ryan (May 18, 2023). "Caleb Love decommits from Michigan men's basketball team, per report". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
    19. ↑ Pascoe, Bruce (May 30, 2023). "North Carolina transfer Caleb Love commits to Arizona Wildcats". tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
    20. 1 2 Baxley, Rodd (March 27, 2023). "Brown transfer Paxson Wojcik commits to UNC basketball". fayobserver.com. The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
    21. 1 2 Nelson, Hunter (April 11, 2023). "Former Louisville forward Jae'Lyn Withers commits to UNC men's basketball". dailytarheel.com. The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
    22. 1 2 McMillan, Sherrell (April 20, 2023). "BREAKING: Notre Dame Transfer Cormac Ryan Commits to UNC". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
    23. 1 2 Marks, Brendan; Moore, CJ; Vecenie, Sam (April 22, 2023). "UNC picks up transfer commitment from Harrison Ingram: How will the former Cardinal fit?". theathletic.com. The Athletic. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
    24. ↑ Smith, Adam. "UNC's D'Marco Dunn Enters Transfer Portal". 247Sports. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
    25. ↑ Givony, Jonathan (May 30, 2023). "North Carolina hoops recruit Elliot Cadeau to enroll early". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
    26. 1 2 McMillan, Sherrell (July 6, 2023). "BREAKING: West Virginia's James Okonkwo Will Transfer to UNC". InsideCarolina.com. 247 Sports. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
    27. ↑ "Nittany Lions Sign North Carolina Transfer D'Marco Dunn". gopsusports.com. Penn State Athletics. June 8, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
    28. ↑ Walsh, Erin (May 30, 2023). "Former UNC Star Caleb Love Transfers to Arizona After Decommitting from Michigan". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
    29. ↑ Crawford, Brad (April 4, 2023). "UNC basketball transfer Justin McKoy announces commitment to Hawaii". 247Sports. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
    30. ↑ Tipton, Joe (March 30, 2023). "North Carolina transfer Tyler Nickel commits to Virginia Tech". on3.com. On3. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
    31. ↑ Weber, Alex (May 11, 2023). "North Carolina forward Will Shaver announces transfer commitment to UAB". on3.com. On3. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
    32. ↑ Baucom, Bryant (April 10, 2023). "Dontrez Styles commits to Georgetown". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
    33. ↑ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Schedule". North Carolina Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
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