North Carolina basketball is set to look a lot different this season, and the changes start at the top. After a turbulent finish to the 2025-26 campaign, the Tar Heels have spent the offseason reshaping the program in a big way.
The biggest shift is the head coach. Michael Malone takes over for Hubert Davis, and the change is about more than just a new voice.
Malone has already earned praise from his players for the standards he demands, and the 54-year-old brings a high-energy style built on accountability at both ends of the floor. Last season, North Carolina too often drifted into defensive lapses and offensive stagnation.
That’s the kind of inconsistency Malone is expected to attack head-on.
Roster construction tells the same story. In 2025, the Tar Heels leaned heavily on the frontcourt pairing of Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, and that duo was a major strength.
But the backcourt needed more, and Malone made sure to address it. North Carolina added Neoklis Avdalas, Terrence Brown, and Matt Able through the transfer portal, giving the team a much more dangerous perimeter group.
That trio has the makings of one of the most intriguing backcourt rotations in the country. Avdalas is projected to run the point, Brown to work as a slashing two-guard, and Able to operate on the wing.
The appeal goes beyond simple position labels, though. All three can create offense for themselves and for others off the dribble, which is exactly the kind of guard play Malone and his staff clearly targeted.
That personnel shift should also change the way North Carolina plays. Last season, because the frontcourt was the focal point, the Tar Heels had to lean on a steady half-court attack.
That wasn’t always a smooth ride, especially with inconsistent perimeter shooting. They were at their best when they could get out in transition off rebounds and turnovers, but even with strong defenders, they still gave up big runs at times.
This year’s version should be more versatile. Under Malone, North Carolina is expected to play faster, but not just in transition.
The half-court offense should become more fluid, with more perimeter playmaking, more ball movement, and more drive-and-kick action that puts pressure on set defenses. If the shooting improves from deep, the Tar Heels could even go four-wide around Sayon Keita and/or Cameron Fens, if he is eligible to play in games.
That would give North Carolina a much broader offensive menu than it had a year ago.
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UNC Is Already In An Early Fight For A Massive 5-Star Center
A big man with a growing national market is already drawing plenty of attention, and North Carolina has made sure it is in the mix early. Dylan Betts, a five-star Class of 2028 center and 7-foot-3 prospect at IMG Academy, has taken an unofficial visit to Chapel Hill as part of a recruitment process that is quickly broadening beyond one region or one conference.
UNCs staff has been building a relationship with Betts while schools like Michigan and Illinois have already hosted him, and Alabama is also lined up for a future visit. For the Tar Heels, getting in early matters with a player of that size and ceiling, because the race for elite frontcourt talent tends to move fast once the major programs start pressing their cases. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs New Backcourt Duo Brings More Than Fans Might Expect
North Carolinas newest backcourt pairing arrived with plenty of intrigue during a recent media availability, as transfer guards Angelo Brizzi and Neo Avdalas were introduced to the Tar Heels audience. Brizzi brings a well-traveled resume, but also the kind of reliability UNC needs from a lead guard, having started all 32 games at Buffalo and finished with 14.5 points per game. Avdalas offers a different look entirely, a 6-foot-9 guard whose size and playmaking made him one of the more interesting additions in the ACC last season.
Avdalas started all 31 games at Virginia Tech, averaged 12.1 points and 4.6 assists per game, and earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors twice, which gives UNC a backcourt blend that is both experienced and unconventional. For a program always balancing immediate expectations with roster fit, the bigger question now is how quickly these two transfers can translate their production into chemistry, spacing and decision-making in Chapel Hill. [Read more 🡒]
Belichicks UNC Start Looks Worse As Passed-Over Options Keep Delivering
Bill Belichicks first season at North Carolina has already become a talking point across college football, and not in the way anyone around Chapel Hill would have wanted. As the Tar Heels try to settle in under one of the sports most famous names, the comparison game has only intensified, with other programs taking shape behind coaches who were in the same broader conversation before Belichick landed at UNC.
Those parallel developments matter because the coaches North Carolina did not hire keep stacking up results elsewhere. Jon Sumrall and Jake Dickert, in particular, have continued to build momentum, while Wake Forests early success under Dickert and quarterback Gio Lopez has only sharpened the optics. Even in games with uneven quarterback play, such as Clemsons outing from Tait Reynolds, the broader trend has been hard to miss for UNC fans watching the wider carousel. [Read more 🡒]