When it comes to North Carolina’s spending, the bigger question may not be whether the number is real. It may be why the Tar Heels had to get there in the first place.
CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander recently identified North Carolina as a program working with a $20-plus million budget, and that figure has already stirred plenty of conversation around what the Tar Heels are getting for that money. But the roster picture looks different once you factor in how the year came together.
North Carolina enters the season unranked in the preseason AP Top 25, though it did receive the fifth-most votes among unranked teams. That places Michael Malone’s group, by that measure, around the 30th-best team in the sport heading into the season.
In the ACC preseason poll, the Tar Heels were picked behind Duke, Virginia, Miami and Louisville. So while the spending figure is loud, the preseason expectations are quieter.
As Cameron Salerno wrote, there’s a reason the roster build didn’t unfold in a neat, normal way: “Malone is a first-year college head coach and was hired the day the transfer portal opened. He had to play catch-up on roster-building and retention, while hiring a staff and getting acclimated to running a college basketball program,” Cameron Salerno wrote.
That timing matters. It helps explain why North Carolina’s spending doesn’t line up cleanly with the projections around this team. Malone was working from behind almost immediately, trying to assemble a roster while also learning the job and putting together a staff.
Even so, the Tar Heels’ roster isn’t being viewed in the most charitable light. The talent level may not match the expectations that usually come with a $20-plus million team, particularly when programs like Texas, Kentucky, Louisville, Duke, Michigan and Florida headline that tier. Still, the idea that North Carolina is spending heavily because of the coaching transition is hard to ignore.
And despite the criticism, the roster may still be better than the noise around it suggests. The feeling here is that North Carolina should finish no worse than a top-25 team, even if this group may not stack up with the sport’s most expensive elite rosters. It may even be the weakest roster in Tier 1, and possibly behind some Tier 2 teams as well.
In Other News...
Belichick Calls Out ACC After Costly UNC Replay Controversy
The finish to North Carolinas overtime loss at Syracuse has turned into more than just a tough result on the schedule. Bill Belichick took aim at the ACCs replay setup, arguing that the league does not have enough camera angles to properly sort out the kind of goal-line and sideline plays that can decide a game in a matter of seconds.
His point was rooted in the review of Syracuses game-winning two-point conversion, where the available official footage left too much room for doubt from the booth and the ACC Replay Center. Belichick said clips circulating on social media offered better views than what the league had at its disposal, and he pushed for dedicated cameras on the critical lines the way other conferences use them to handle the most important calls. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Has A Fascinating Frontcourt Question With Alex Samodurov
Alex Samodurov has already given North Carolina a fresh look in the frontcourt, and the early impressions are enough to make his arrival worth watching. The 6-foot-11 forward from Greece comes to Chapel Hill after playing professionally for Panathinaikos, bringing a level of international seasoning that is not common for a new college big man. He also arrives with real pedigree, having helped Greece earn a bronze medal at the 2025 senior EuroBasket, and he flashed some of the reasons UNC is intrigued when he chipped in rebounds and a three-pointer in an exhibition against USC.
What comes next is the part the Tar Heels still need to sort out. UNC's staff is trying to figure out how fast Samodurov can adjust to the college game and where he fits in a frontcourt rotation that will have to account for his size, skill and experience. For a team looking for answers up front, he is an unusual addition: polished enough to raise expectations, but still new enough to leave the biggest questions unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Is Reaching A QB Crossroads Billy Edwards Can't Ignore
Billy Edwards Jr. is expected to take the first snap against Miami, a game that may also serve as his final collegiate start, and that gives North Carolina a natural moment to look ahead even while trying to finish on a steadier note. Edwards has provided the Tar Heels with a veteran presence this season, completing 60.2 percent of his passes for 1,531 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions, but the offense has still battled inconsistency enough to leave bigger questions hanging over the position.
Travis Burgess is the name those questions keep circling back to. The freshman arrived as a highly regarded recruit, and the Tar Heels would be wise to find him some playing time after the Miami game so they can get a clearer read on whether he can be the quarterback of the future. For a program looking to stabilize itself, the next stretch could matter as much for evaluation as it does for the present. [Read more 🡒]