UNC Basketball: Will Tar Heels boast best front court in college hoops?

The UNC basketball program is coming off its worst season in nearly two decades, but a terrific recruiting class and the nation’s best front court will help the Tar Heels turn it around in 2021.

College basketball fans and pundits alike, are looking ahead to the 2020-21 season with anticipation and fervor, discussing everything from the nation’s top transfer players to the programs with the best shot to cut down the nets in Indianapolis next year.

Which incoming freshman class will be the most impactful? Who’s the front-runner for National Player of the Year? What programs are best equipped to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament? Many of the usual suspects will be major players when all of these topics unfold over the next year. One program, in particular, could play a part in each of the aforementioned queries. That program is a 19-loss North Carolina team that many will overlook as the season begins in late fall.

Despite turning in their worst season in nearly 20 years, the Tar Heels welcome in one of the top recruiting classes in college hoops. They also return one of the best all-around players in the nation in senior big man Garrison Brooks. And they could easily have the sports’ best front court, something that has proven to be an important factor for successful Roy Williams-coached teams in the past.

Their front court got a huge shot in the arm when Armando Bacot announced that he’d be back in Chapel Hill for his sophomore season. The rising star averaged 9.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game during his rookie year at UNC, and has a ceiling that he isn’t even close to reaching. Brooks announced his intent to return to North Carolina shortly after Bacot, signaling continuity and star-power in the UNC front court for next season.

The Tar Heels will also add a pair of 5-star freshman bigs to their roster next season, as McDonald’s All-Americans Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler join Brooks and Bacot to form what will almost undoubtedly be the nation’s best front court. That’s a front court that stands 6-foot-9, 6-foot-10, 6-foot-10 and 7-feet tall, and not a single member of the quartet weighs less than 235 pounds. That combination of size and skill will be tough for any team in college basketball to match next season, let alone the Atlantic Coast Conference, where North Carolina should have a decided size advantage in every game.

While Bacot is building on the successes of his freshman season, the two rookie bigs should be getting acclimated to the college game. And all the while, Brooks should be making a strong case for ACC Player of the Year, what with his budding offensive game and difference-making defensive presence.

So, will the Tar Heels have the nation’s best front court next season? Yeah, and it really shouldn’t even be close.