Chapel Hill is seeing the healing of wounds as North Carolina, with a 17-3 record and a perfect 9-0 in ACC, holds the third spot nationally and comfortably secures the top seed position at the midpoint of ACC play. After nearly four seasons of uncertainty about their selection on Sundays, the recent success is a sigh of relief for many.
While it’s tempting to credit Hubert Davis for restoring the essence of ‘Carolina Basketball,’ the progress made by this team surpasses annual expectations. What we are witnessing is a historically exceptional Tar Heel team that is rewriting record books.
Following a win against Florida State, North Carolina remains unbeaten in conference play, boasting a ten-game winning streak – its best start since the 2000-01 season. The victory also marked UNC’s 750th all-time ACC win, making them the first school to achieve this milestone.
Armando Bacot recently became the first player in North Carolina basketball history to reach 1,000 defensive rebounds, showcasing his impact on the team and its predecessors. Despite a modest performance with four rebounds against the Seminoles, Bacot maintains an average of just over ten rebounds per game.
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RJ Davis has climbed to fifth in all-time three-pointers made in North Carolina history. He set a record on Monday for the most consecutive games with multiple three-pointers, breaking Justin Jackson’s 2016-17 milestone, the last time the Tar Heels had a double-digit win streak until this year.
Hubert Davis is a strong candidate for National Coach of the Year, while RJ Davis is in the running for National Player of the Year and is the frontrunner for ACC Player of the Year. Elliot Cadeau is a contender for ACC Freshman of the Year. With 17+ wins in their first 20 games, North Carolina has achieved this feat for the third time in the last twelve years, with the other two instances resulting in a National Runner-up and National Champion in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, respectively.
The storied history of UNC basketball is being challenged by the 2023-24 squad, which is poised to be among the best ever. Far beyond a mere bounce-back year, Hubert Davis and North Carolina have already started rewriting history, and their focus remains on further accomplishments.
