The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of the most prestigious college basketball programs in the county, but they had a down year.
After coming off a great 2022 tournament run where they lost in the title game against Kansas the Tar Heels were the preseason number one team coming into 2023.
They did not live up to the hype, would not make this year’s March Madness tournament, and declined a bid to the NIT.
North Carolina’s offseason started sooner than a lot of the big-time programs, and there were two decisions made this week that will help the Tar Heels out in 2023-2024.
North Carolina Gets Two Big Names Back
On Tuesday, Armando Bacot announced he would be returning for his fifth season. Bacot is one of the best forwards in the country and when he is on the floor, he could be a nightmare matchup for a handful of teams.
Bacot was one of the main reasons why the Tar Heels made a great run in March last year. He got a little banged up this season, but he is a great player and will look to continue his dominance next season.
Well, Bacot coming back wasn’t enough because guard RJ Davis announced on Friday that he will be coming back for his senior year.
Davis averaged 16 points a game last season and is one of the best guards in the nation.
Bacot and Davis will hopefully get the Tar Heels back on their feet next season, and they should have a good year.
College Basketball Is Better With These Moves
I think Bacot and Davis going back to school, and instead of declaring for the NBA is awesome. These guys have tons of talent and would be drafted around the late first or second round. We have had so many players in the years past leave college when they could have stayed, and they ended up doing nothing in the NBA.
NIL is probably a huge reason why many of these players are staying longer, but it’s great for the sport. Would you rather be buried in the G-League somewhere or would you rather be the face of North Carolina basketball?
I can tell you nobody watched an NBA G-League game, but I can turn my TV on during the week and see North Carolina on ESPN.
More players should take after Bacot and Davis, and it would be outstanding if they do because college basketball could get back to old times when players stayed in school for three to four years.
