North Carolina’s biggest warning sign from last season may be the simplest one to fix - and the easiest one to ignore. The Tar Heels did a lot of things poorly at different points in the year, but the one weakness that kept showing up was at the free-throw line. And for Hubert Davis and a roster that looks very different now, that problem still looms large.
Last season, UNC shot 68% from the stripe, which ranked among the lowest marks in Division I. That kind of number doesn’t just leave points behind; it chips away at games the Tar Heels should have finished off. It showed up in a couple of losses, including the overtime defeat to VCU, and it hung around long enough to matter when the season was on the line.
The issue went beyond the math. Missed free throws can drain momentum, and last year’s North Carolina team lived and died with momentum swings.
When things were rolling, the Heels had enough juice to pull off comeback wins like the thrilling home victory over Duke. When the tide turned, though, they had no cushion to lean on.
That same pattern showed up in the NCAA Tournament. UNC led most of the game against VCU in the first round, but everything flipped late. Once the momentum changed, it belonged to VCU, and the Tar Heels’ missed free throws down the stretch helped close the door on their season.
The new roster doesn’t erase the concern. Terrence Brown, Matt Able, and Neoklis Avdalas all shot under 80% from the line last season, with Able the best of the group at 79%. Avdalas has the biggest gap to close, coming in at 67%.
So if North Carolina wants a different ending this time, the fix starts with the basics. The Heels need to spend time at the line and cash in when they get there. In a season where small margins could decide everything, free throws may be the difference between a good run and another painful finish.
In Other News...
Michael Malones First UNC Roster Faces One Huge March Test
Michael Malone is building his first North Carolina roster with a very different look, and the early shape of it says a lot about how he wants to play. The Tar Heels are bringing back only a small core from last season, with Isaiah Denis, Jarin Stevenson and Jaydon Young the only familiar holdovers, while the rest of the rotation is being pieced together through additions at both guard and forward. The makeover is obvious enough that depth, versatility and how quickly the newcomers settle in figure to matter just as much as talent on paper.
The backcourt has been overhauled with Terrence Brown, Matt Able, Kevin Thomas and Neoklis Avdalas among the new names expected to see real minutes, while Sayon Keita and Alexandros Samodurov give UNC more options inside. Even with that kind of influx, there is a sense that the frontcourt could have looked even stronger with Henri Veesaar in the mix, which is the kind of offseason what-if that lingers around a roster this new. For Malone, the challenge is not just finding enough pieces, but getting them to fit quickly enough to survive the kind of March test that has a way of exposing teams still learning each other. [Read more 🡒]
Coby White Just Landed A Massive NBA Opportunity
Coby White is cashing in on the progress he has made since leaving Chicago, with a new three-year, $74 million agreement set to keep him in place for the next stretch of his career. After being traded to Charlotte during the 2025-26 season, the former Tar Heel has settled into a role that looks increasingly important for the franchise as it reshapes its backcourt.
The timing makes this more than just a payday for White. Charlotte has already moved on from LaMelo Ball in a trade with Minnesota, and that opens the door for White to step into a far bigger responsibility going into 2026-27. For a player who has kept improving since arriving, it is a chance to move from useful guard to the one expected to steer the offense. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Suddenly Has A Real Shot At Elite 2027 Big Man
North Carolinas late push into the Darius Wabbington sweepstakes is the kind of development that can change the tone of a recruiting race in a hurry. The Class of 2027 big man has already climbed high enough on boards to draw national attention, and the Tar Heels were among the programs that earned a place in his trimmed list, alongside Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville and Texas.
For UNC, the intrigue is in how quickly the opportunity arrived after the June 18 offer and how much ground still has to be made up. Wabbington already has three official visits on the books, but the Tar Heels have not yet lined one up, leaving Hubert Davis and his staff with work still to do if they want to turn an unexpectedly real opening into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]