The North Carolina Tar Heels finished last season with one (one!) Quad 1 win in 14 Quad 1 matchups, which left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Hubert Davis' squad snuck into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed, but was promptly dispatched by Ole Miss — a Quad 1 opponent. Now, R.J. Davis is gone — and so are most of the other key players, whether they've graduated or hit the transfer portal. UNC fans will hinge a lot of their hopes and dreams on five-star recruit Caleb Wilson, but it's unclear how much help he will have.
What's worse is that Will Wade is recruiting up a storm across the state in Raleigh. The former LSU coach, hired after a successful image rehab stint at McNeese State, has brought in players from far and wide to join the NC State program — including, in all likelihood, former UNC forward Ven-Allen Lubin, who has a crystal ball prediction in NC State's favor at 247 Sports.
This is just the latest in a long string of blows for Hubert Davis and the North Carolina program. Lubin is a Chapel Hill native, born and raised. These are dark days at UNC.
Ven-Allen Lubin predicted to join NC State as North Carolina offseason goes from bad to worse
Lubin was a member of UNC's rotation last season, averaging 8.7 points and 5.5 rebounds on 68.4 percent shooting in 19.6 minutes per game. He started in 20 of 37 appearances. Lubin's unique physicality and nifty interior scoring were expected to take on greater importance this season. Now, they will — just in a Wolfpack uniform, it seems.
This is not the first key piece Davis has lost to the transfer portal. Ian Jackson picked up and left for St. John's, despite profiling as a clear No. 1 option and a foundational piece in lieu of R.J. Davis. Drake Powell is one of the few freshmen without a first-round guarantee who has declared wholeheartedly for the NBA Draft, citing an inability to showcase his full two-way skill set at UNC. Not great, Bob! Elliott Cadeau left for Michigan, because why not. It's all very bleak.
In addition to Lubin, NC State has pulled major weight in the transfer portal, with Texas Tech's Darrion Williams and Houston's Terrance Arceneaux among those to commit to Wade's rebuilt program. The Wolfpack look and feel like a contender, in no small part due to Wade's aptitude as a coach. It's safe to say UNC fans don't feel the same way about Davis' tactical abilities.
This is not to say UNC is completely whiffing in the transfer portal. Florida State's Jamir Watkins has expressed interest if he withdraws from the NBA Draft. Alabama's Jarin Stevenson, Arizona's Henri Veesaar and Colorado State's Kyan Evans have all put pen to paper in Chapel Hill. Factor in five-star freshman Wilson, and UNC can at least put a real team on the floor. But it's hard to set expectations any higher than what we witnessed last season, which is exactly the issue. Especially with the influx of coaching talent in the ACC. Wade at NC State, Ryan Odom at Virginia. The path isn't getting easier for the Tar Heels.
All this is to say... maybe UNC needs to rethink its coaching situation long term.