The Hubert Davis era concluded last season, as UNC basketball made a surprise hire in Michael Malone, who hasn’t coached in college basketball since 2001.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: UNC basketball.
Times were weird in Chapel Hill in the five years with Hubert Davis as head coach. In year one, he led the Tar Heels all the way to the National Championship, despite just being an 8-seed in the tournament. UNC would miss the field altogether in 2023, before getting a 1 seed and getting bounced in the Sweet 16 in 2024. However, after two straight first round losses, the Tar Heels decided the inconsistency and underperformance in March Madness was enough, and moved on from their former player.
And then came the bombshell – Michael Malone hired as head coach. NO ONE could have predicted that, as he was far from anyone’s guess – even the top experts in the game. Yet, North Carolina decided to go for the former NBA coach, whose last job in college was as an assistant at Manhattan in 2000-01. Still, he’s a proven NBA coach and developer of talent, as we all saw in a graphic UNC basketball posted that got quite the laugh (yes, Malone did once coach LeBron James and maybe played a role in developing the King).
Still, Malone’s history of talent development is still legitimate, even if that was a bit overplayed. And this season, he’s got a chance to develop some guys into stars. Matt Able comes over from NC State and Neo Avdalas from Virginia Tech, both projected to gain some huge NBA interest. Avdalas burst onto the scene last season before cooling off and having efficiency problems. Able started to catch on more down the stretch, with a season-high of 19 points coming against North Carolina on Feb. 17. They should figure to do most of the scoring, along with Terrence Brown, a transfer guard coming over from Utah.
Jarin Stevenson serves as a reliable power forward and will play alongside 7-footer Cameron Fens, who was dominant on both sides of the floor for South Dakota. Talented 7-foot freshman Sayon Keita, Northwestern transfer Cade Bennerman, and Alex Samodurov, a prospect from Greece, should all help with depth inside the paint.
And then there are the guys Malone hopes to have click to get the most out of this roster. Angelo Brizzi will finish his collegiate career on his fifth team in five years after having career numbers at Buffalo. Maximo Adams is a five-star recruit with loads of potential. Jaydon Young and Isaiah Denis are rotational pieces who return to Chapel Hill in hopes of carving out bigger roles this season.
Does this UNC basketball team scream improvements over last year? I would argue it actually doesn’t, but with Malone as head coach, it’s anyone’s guess, which could be scary for the rest of the ACC and college basketball.
Head coach: Michael Malone (1st season overall)
2025-26 record: 24-9 (12-6)
2026 postseason finish: Lost to VCU (82-78) in first round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Caleb Wilson (19.8 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 57.8 FG%)
- Henri Veesaar (17.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.2 BPG, 60.8 FG%, 42.6 3P%)
- Seth Trimble (14.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG)
- Luka Bogavac (9.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.2 APG)
- Derek Dixon (6.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 39.7 3P%)
- Jonathan Powell (4.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.7 APG, 36.5 3P%)
- Kyan Evans (4.0 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 2.5 APG)
- Zayden High (3.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.5 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Georgia (Nov. 13)
- vs. West Virginia (Nov. 27) – Charlotte, N.C.
- vs. Arkansas (Dec. 1)
- vs. Butler (Dec. 6)
- at Georgetown (Dec. 12)
- vs. Kentucky (Dec. 19) – Madison Square Garden
- vs. Illinois (Jan. 30) – Nashville, TN
Projected Rotation
PG: Terrence Brown (6-3, 180, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 19.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.4 SPG (Utah)
SG: Matt Able (6-5, 200, So.)
2025-26 stats: 8.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 35.5 3P% (NC State)
SF: Neo Avdalas (6-9, 220, So.)
2025-26 stats: 12.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.6 APG, 38.6 FG% (Virginia Tech)
PF: Jarin Stevenson (6-10, 220, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.9 APG
C: Cameron Fens (7-0, 255, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 14.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 0.8 APG, 1.5 BPG, 57.9 FG% (South Dakota)
6: Maximo Adams (6-7, 220, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 26 ranked recruit
7: Angelo Brizzi (6-3, 200, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 14.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 37.3 3P% (Buffalo)
8: Sayon Keita (7-1, 205, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 61 ranked recruit
9: Jaydon Young (6-4, 200, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 1.8 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 30.0 FG%
10: Isaiah Denis (6-4, 185, So.)
2025-26 stats: 1.9 PPG, 0.6 RPG, 0.1 APG, 10 GP
11: Kevin Thomas (6-6, 205, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 101 ranked recruit
12: Cade Bennerman (7-0, 205, Rs.-Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 279 ranked recruit (2025, Northwestern)
13: Alex Samodurov (6-11, 225, Jr.)
International recruit from Greece
UNC basketball team MVP: Neoklis Avdalas
A lot of debate has been thrown around on who will be UNC’s go-to player. Some are saying Terrence Brown, as he comes in after scoring over 18 PPG last season. Others are siding with Matt Able, who showed loads of potential at NC State, and could be in for a breakout year with the Tar Heels. I’m going with Neo Avdalas, who also showed an NBA future at Virginia Tech, and if it wasn’t for some inefficiency from the field, was one of the top freshmen in the country.
Avdalas is a very unique player – a forward who can shoot, drive, run the point, and spot-up. Offensively, he’s miles ahead of most players his age, and plays with a certain basketball IQ and pace. Obviously, his field goal percentage wasn’t great, and his defense is lackluster. But as a scorer, he’s the most gifted on this UNC basketball team.
For the Tar Heels to improve, they’ll need more defense from Avdalas and the whole team. That is what held the Heels back in the Davis era. But offensively, I’m not sure if there’s anyone in the ACC or the country who can check Avadalas for a full 40 minutes. And to me, that’s an MVP of a team.
UNC basketball make-or-break player: Matt Able
I want to preface this by saying that Matt Able is far from a make-or-break player when it comes to being a filler piece that needs to step up. He will certainly be one of the top options offensively and is poised to have a true breakout year as a sophomore.
But I’m still hesitant, given his new role. Able was one of many key players for NC State as a freshman, which says something about his talent. But now, he’ll be thrust into a pivotal role at UNC. It’s something Avdalas was used to with VTech. Able might need some more adjustment.
However, if the hype is real, I think it does vault UNC from a top five team in the ACC to a top three team. He’s definitely got the skill set to be one of the best players in the conference, and plays with his head on a swivel, virtually the opposite of Avdalas. It should make for a unique blend between those two, and adds to the question marks – though good questions to have – about this North Carolina team.
Key statistic: Free throw %
Missing free throws is one of the most bothersome things when it comes to college basketball, and UNC basketball did a lot of that last year. The Tar Heels were in the bottom 50 when it came to FT%, as they shot just 68.2% as a team. In ACC play, the mark was 68.9%, as they virtually never improved from the charity stripe.
This year, those same problems could arise. Despite being labeled as a good shooter, Avdalas shot just 67.3% from the line last year. To his credit, Able was 79.6% from the stripe, and Brown was 77.5%, so that could help to improve the number. They’ll be the guys looking to get to the line the most, outside of the big men. The easiest way to give a game away is to miss a lot of free throws, and it’s one of the simplest things to fix.
UNC basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 5th in the ACC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Elite 8 exit