UNC basketball rumors: Iron Five core running it back in Chapel Hill?

Mar 27, 2022; Philadelphia, PA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Leaky Black (1) and guard R.J. Davis (4) and guard Caleb Love (2) celebrate during the second half against the St. Peters Peacocks in the finals of the East regional of the men's college basketball NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitchell Leff-USA TODAY Sports /

UNC basketball went on a magical March Madness run behind the Iron Five core and the Tar Heels might get to largely run it back next season too.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are just over a week removed from a gutting loss in the national championship to the Kansas Jayhawks, halting a magical March Madness run for head coach Hubert Davis and his team in his first season at the helm of the program.

But as is often the case in college hoops, the focus has quickly turned to what’s next for UNC basketball. There are already-raised expectations for the 2022-23 season after what happened this year in March but what has remained unclear is the pieces that will be in place to try and live up to those expectations.

As it turns out, the vaunted Iron Five that won the hearts of many in the NCAA Tournament might be thinking that they have some unfinished business.

UNC basketball: Caleb Love, Armando Bacot could return with R.J. Davis, Leaky Black

According to a report from UNC basketball insider Candace Cooper on the Locked On Tar Heels podcast and other reports, there is an increasingly likely chance that the Iron Five core of Caleb Love, Armando Bacot, R.J. Davis and Leaky Black are set to return to Chapel Hill for the 2022-23 season.

Of course, the entirety of the Iron Five isn’t going to be eligible to return next season given that Brady Manek was a graduate transfer and has played out his one year with the Tar Heels.

With that being said, bringing back Love, Davis, Black and, perhaps most importantly, Bacot returning would be a massive boost for North Carolina in trying to better their deep tournament run from this year. Moreover, it would also make sense for the players in their own right as each has areas of their game that must be improved before making the jump to the NBA or other professional leagues.

Regardless, this could be a massive win for Hubert Davis and the program if they can secure the return of this group. And an announcement in the near future is certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Next. 30 biggest college basketball cheaters. dark

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.