UNC’s season came crashing down in the very first round of NCAAT. A program with banners hanging, legends in the rafters, and a head coach who himself wore Tar Heels’ Blue and White decades ago and still, Ole Miss sent them packing. And honestly, after watching how the Heels played this season (23-14), no one was gasping. But did it hurt the program’s value? Not even a scratch. UNC is still sitting pretty with a massive $378 million valuation. They’re the blue-blood, and this offseason, Hubert Davis wasted no time capitalizing on it.

He is out here making moves like a man on a mission. He has got four transfers coming in so far. First up, we saw Jonathan Powell coming in from West Virginia. He spent just one season there but left enough of a mark to have folks excited. He dropped 64 threes and hit 35% from deep—which put him right up there with the best freshmen in the Big 12. Not bad at all for a first-year wing. 

Then we’ve got Henri Veesaar out of Arizona. A seven-footer from Estonia. Size has been a major pain point for UNC lately, and well, Veesaar Is basically an instant fix. Then comes Kyan Evans. A 6’2” guard from Kansas City who started every single game for Colorado State this past season. He even showed up when it mattered most.

Finally, UNC reeled in another big fish. Jarin Stevenson, the 6’11” forward out of Alabama, is coming home. The Chapel Hill native has got two years of eligibility left and it’s actually a full-circle moment. Why? Because back in high school, he was a big-time prospect out of Pittsboro’s Seaforth High, and both ESPN and 247 had him as a four-star in the Class of 2024. 

UNC was right there in the mix too. But he reclassified, jumped to the 2023 class, and headed to Bama instead. Once he got to Tuscaloosa, he didn’t just blend in, he helped them reach the Final Four. As a sophomore, he stayed steady. Started 22 games, including one at Chapel Hill, where Bama beat the Tar Heels 94–79. 

His stats across two seasons are almost identical—about 5.3 to 5.4 PPG, shooting around 42% from the floor. Nothing crazy, but nothing to ignore either. Now Tar Heels fans might side-eye the numbers. But power forward depth is something UNC desperately needed. Plus, Nate Oats said that the baller has got NBA-level tools. What he needs is confidence. And maybe that’s where Hubert Davis steps in. If Davis can unlock that, Stevenson could be so much more than his stat line.

And talking about fit,  Stevenson’s gonna have to earn his spot. It’s not gonna be easy—not with Veesaar, Caleb Wilson, and Ven-Allen Lubin in the mix. But that kind of battle is exactly what this roster needs. Losing players hurt, sure but Stevenson, Veesaar, and Wilson is a pretty nice trio to work with. So it’s Hubert Davis’ fifth year, which feels kinda like a make-or-break one.

But if this offseason’s any indication, he’s not going down quietly and these transfers might turn things around for the UNC head coach. He has checked off almost every box along the way. But the job is not done because not to forget, he has lost a lot along the way, too.

Hubert Davis needs to stop rereading the same sad script

We’re sitting here again, talking about how UNC just might turn things around next season. Like, how many times are we gonna spin this “wait till next year” wheel? Hubert Davis came in with all this energy—fresh off a national championship appearance in his first year, fans were hype. Chapel Hill was buzzing. 

But ever since that magical run in 2022, it’s been a whole lot on the downside. No deep tournament run, missed March Madness entirely in 2023, and then this past season, a first-round exit.  And now, the exodus continues. 

Elliot Cadeau is gone. Jalen Washington is gone. Ian Jackson is in the portal, probably on his way to another powerhouse. That’s not one, not two, but three key pieces leaving. Cadeau ran the offense. Jackson was a five-star with ridiculous bounce. Washington added that size and veteran presence. Losing all of them is an emergency.

And not to forget the ghosts of transfers past. Remember Caleb Love? He nearly won UNC a national title in 2022 but left, and helped Arizona make a deep run. That wasn’t just bad luck. It’s a pattern now. A really frustrating one. What’s worse is this bisn’t just a talent issue. Hubert’s actually been pulling in solid recruits and decent portal gets. But signing talent isn’t the same as building a team. A team that sticks. A team that believes. Right now, guys are walking out before they’ve even unpacked.

Fans are getting real tired. Because this is blue-blood Nation, this fanbase lives for Final Fours, not just making the tournament. The bar is set high — always has been — and right now, Davis is falling short. And with a manageable $800K buyout, well… the pressure is very real.

So this upcoming season is not just “important.” It’s a do-or-die, last-chance kind of year. Either Hubert Davis figures out how to stop the bleeding — both on the court and in the locker room — or this whole thing might just unravel. Because at this point, it feels like UNC’s stuck rereading the same sad script.