Predicting UNC basketball’s starting lineup for 2023-24 season opener

In three and a half months, North Carolina basketball will start the 2023-24 season with a new-look squad hoping to get the Tar Heels back in March Madness. 

After missing the NCAA Tournament with a 20-13 record last season, UNC lost seven players, including five to the transfer portal. In the months since, third-year coach Hubert Davis has added seven newcomers – including five transfers – to a retooled roster. 

Harrison Ingram (Stanford), Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame), Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville), James Okonkwo (West Virginia) and Paxson Wojcik (Brown) joined the team via the portal. Elliot Cadeau and Zayden High arrived in Chapel Hill as freshmen. 

Here’s what the starting lineup could look like when the Tar Heels tip off the 2023-24 season in early November. 

Armando Bacot 

The All-American big man is UNC’s all-time leader in rebounds and double-doubles. Bacot averaged 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds last season, shooting a team-best 55.4% from the floor. Despite being hampered by multiple ankle injuries, the fifth-year senior has proved to be reliable. The 6-foot-11 center will be the Tar Heels’ primary option because of his production in the paint. 

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RJ Davis 

Like Bacot, Davis is one of UNC’s holdovers from the starting lineup last season. As the Tar Heels’ lead guard, Davis shot a team-best 36.2% from 3-point range and was second in scoring at 16.1 points per game. The senior also led the team in assists (3.2 apg) and grabbed 5.1 rebounds per game. Davis is expected to be UNC’s leader in the backcourt. 

Harrison Ingram 

A point-forward type, Ingram averaged 10.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in two seasons at Stanford. The 6-foot-7 forward shot 31.5% from 3-point range and had 14 games with five or more assists last season. Ingram’s feel as a passer and playmaker should help him crack the starting lineup. 

Cormac Ryan 

The Notre Dame transfer has 116 games of experience as a reliable guard capable of knocking down shots and making things easier for the players around him. The 6-foot-5 Ryan is a career 35.2% shooter from 3-point range. He averaged 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds last season. 

Elliot Cadeau 

Cadeau didn’t reclass to sit on those comfy sideline seats. The five-star point guard has the reputation as a top-notch facilitator, which would give UNC its best passing guard since Kendall Marshall a decade ago. According to KenPom.com, the Tar Heels assisted on 45.8% of its field goals last season. That’s the program’s worst ranking in that category since at least 1997. Cadeau’s presence should boost the flow of the offense.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.