One of the most important college basketball betting returners in the country, RJ Davis (21 ppg, 4 rpg, 4 apg), is back in Chapel Hill. Correlate that he is a likely preseason first-team All-American. In comparison to Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, he is in the ACC Player of the Year race. Davis stepped up his efficiency from beyond the three-point line last season. And his ability to score from anywhere on the court makes him one of the most exciting players to watch in college basketball. His return to Carolina elevates the team’s ceiling tremendously.
2024-25 North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball Preview
| North Carolina Tar Heels | Odds |
|---|---|
| National Championship Odds: | +4500 |
2024-25 North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball Outlook
Last year, head coach Hubert Davis had his best season yet at North Carolina. The Tar Heels finished 29-8 but came up short in the Sweet 16 to Alabama. Hubert Davis returns his starting backcourt. But he will have his hands full trying to get the rest of his online betting lineup up to par. The expectation at North Carolina will always be to contend at the top of the ACC. Correlate that is something we think this team is more than capable of doing.
Additionally, four others return from last year’s rotation for the Tar Heels, most notably sophomore Elliot Cadeau (7 ppg, 4 apg). Cadeau stepped into a starting role as a freshman for the Tar Heels, and his sophomore jump will be something to monitor as he owns the provider role for RJ Davis.
Seth Trimble (5 ppg) saw a small increase in his role last year, but the addition of Cormac Ryan on the wing stunted his growth. Now with a better chance to see big minutes in the rotation, Trimble is another guy who could leap this season.
Namely, Jae’Lyn Withers (4 ppg, 4 rpg) and Jalen Washington (4 ppg) are the two returners in the frontcourt for Carolina. And both need to step up following the departure of Armando Bacot. Washington is the guy that is expected to leap the Tar Heels. Although we have NCAABB betting doubts for a guy who averaged just 8 minutes per game last season.
Overall, six players left North Carolina, including three extremely important veteran players. Armando Bacot (15 ppg, 10 rpg) became the staple of North Carolina teams in recent years but finally bid farewell.
Harrison Ingram (12 ppg, 9 rpg) and Cormac Ryan (12 ppg) only played at North Carolina for one season. Still, their importance to last year’s team cannot be understated. They are completely leveling up the Tar Heels from the 2022-23 team that missed the tournament. Bench pieces Paxson Wojcik (2 ppg), James Okonwo (1 ppg), and Zayden High (1 ppg) round out the list of departures.
By contrast, three transfers join the Tar Heels ahead of the 2024-25 season, with the most important of the trio likely being Vanderbilt transfer Ven Allen-Lubin (12 ppg, 6 rpg at Vanderbilt). Allen-Lubin doesn’t provide the floor spacing that Harrison Ingram did for the Tar Heels. However, his terrific rebounding ability at the four spot could replicate some of what Ingram did.
Certainly, there won’t be Armando Bacot in the paint, either. So, Allen-Lubin could become the vocal point of the post-offense. A\Belmont transfer Cade Tyson (16 ppg, 6 rpg at Belmont) comes to Chapel Hill. Following his dominance of the Missouri Valley as an efficient three-level scorer for two years. Last season, Tyson shot 49.3% from the field and 46.5% from three