UNC Basketball: CBS Sports sleeping on these two Tar Heels

CBS Sports is sleeping on these two UNC basketball players

CBS Sports released its latest preseason college basketball rankings on Tuesday afternoon, naming the 15 graduate transfers who will have the most impact on their respective teams this season.

Per the usual, CBS named former Virginia Tech Hokie and current Florida Gator Kerry Blackshear, Jr. the No. 1 grad transfer in the nation. Blackshear put together a nice couple of seasons in Blacksburg, no doubt, averaging 13.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game through his sophomore and junior seasons. But the level in which Blackshear has been valued this summer, and the way he’s expected to impact the Gators’ overall season has been a bit of a stretch.

On the other hand, North Carolina grad transfers Christian Keeling and Justin Pierce, who have had comparable — if not better — stats, have been consistently undervalued since hoops season ended in early April.

Pierce, for one, is ranked No. 6 on the list, despite having numbers that are quite similar to Blackshear. That includes his rebounding numbers, never mind the fact that Pierce is three inches shorter than Blackshear. Is he ranked so much lower because he played for William & Mary, and the level of competition simply didn’t rival what Blackshear faced in the ACC? It must be, because Pierce has averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game over the past two seasons. Pierce has also averaged more assists and steals during that span, as well as a better three-point shooting percentage and fewer turnovers.

Then, there’s Christian Keeling, a guy that’s been a walking bucket since he stepped on to a college basketball court three years ago. Keeling is ranked No. 11 on CBS’ list of impact transfers for 2019-20. Is it because he came from seldom-talked about Charleston Southern? Maybe so, because he’s never averaged less than 17.3 points per game in a season, and has a three-year scoring average of 17.9; evidencing the kind of consistency he’s displayed at the college level.

https://twitter.com/BasktballPower/status/1121940312002371584

He had career-highs last season in points (18.7), assists (2.8), steals (1.3), blocks (0.7), shooting percentage (46.5) and three-point percentage (38). In a North Carolina offense that will feature both size and shooting this season, Keeling could absolutely thrive. It wouldn’t be shocking if he led the Tar Heels in a number of statistical categories this season, including points per game.

Either way, I’d bet dollars to donuts that each of these UNC newcomers outperforms their respective ranking on this list. We’ll find out beginning in early November when the Tar Heels kick off the season against Notre Dame at the Dean Smith Center.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Justin Pierce, Christian Keeling and everything UNC basketball.