North Carolina will enter a new era this season as Michael Malone takes over the program after a lengthy coaching career in the NBA. The former coach of the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets hasn't coached at the college level in over 25 years, with his last stint coming as an assistant coach at Manhattan before making the jump to the NBA in 2001. Following a loss to VCU in the NCAA Tournament, UNC underwent nearly a two-week-long coaching search and landed on Malone despite his lack of ties to the Carolina program, which was an unofficial prerequisite for several coaches who came before him.
North Carolina has the No. 8-ranked transfer portal class in the 247Sports rankings, headlined by the additions of Matt Able (NC State), Terrence Brown (Utah) and Neoklis Avdalas (Virginia Tech). The Tar Heels also welcome five-star big man Sayon Keita from Spain, who is a potential name to know for the 2027 NBA Draft. This roster will look drastically different from last season's, which featured star forward Caleb Wilson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Tar Heels also lost big man Henri Veesaar to the NBA and defensive ace Seth Trimble, who is set to play for Louisville this season if he is granted an extra year of eligibility. Let's dive into UNC's roster, starting with who might be in the lineup on opening night against Western Carolina on Nov. 2. The Utah transfer is coming off a season in which he averaged 19.9 points, 3.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds in his first year playing high-major basketball.
Brown began his career at Farleigh Dickinson, where he averaged 20.6 points during the 2024-25 campaign. He will bring scoring, playmaking and much-needed athleticism to UNC's lineup. Able is the rare Tobacco Road transfer.
Able played last season at NC State and averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in just over 21 minutes per game. After appearing in 34 games off the bench for the Wolfpack, Able is set to step into a starting role this season with the Tar Heels. He might be UNC's best NBA prospect and could crack the first round with a breakout season.
The 6-foot-9 guard has the archetype of a point-forward that can be extremely valuable at both the college and NBA levels. As a freshman at Virginia Tech, he averaged 12.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 31 games. There were certainly flashes (see the game against Providence in nonconference play) last season that showed Avdalas can be an impact player.
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