UNC Basketball: Tar Heels stand pat in ESPN early rankings

The UNC Basketball program stayed put in the updated ESPN Way Too Early Top 25 rankings for the college basketball season

We are still a few more months away from the 2020-21 college basketball season, which as of now is still on.

This offseason has been a little different, to say the least, for college programs due to COVID-19 and it’s created some changes to the schedule for the Summer months. In addition to a recruiting dead period where coaches and recruits cannot travel to take visits, the NBA timeline has also changed a bit.

The league announced plans to resume the season in Orlando in a few months, pushing off the NBA Draft Lottery, Combine and Draft itself a few more months down the road. It’s also led to an extension of the withdraw deadline for recruits hoping to test the NBA waters. Mix in what feels like hundreds of transfers and this college basketball offseason has been a unique one.

ESPN has been keeping tabs on all the moves and how it will impact the upcoming season, leading them to update their Way Too Early Top 25 for 2020-21. The site provided an update earlier in the week with the Top 5 staying put but some changes in the Top 15 or so.

However, UNC was not one of those movers. Instead, the Tar Heels stayed put in the rankings at No. 14 overall. Here is what Jeff Borzello had to say about UNC and the upcoming season:

"One of the things I keep coming back to when thinking about the 2020-21 college basketball season is North Carolina and how Roy Williams will handle his post rotation. The Tar Heels might have the deepest and most talented frontcourt group in the country, and even though Williams likes to play two big men at the same time, it is going to be a challenge to get everyone minutes. Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot return after starting last season. Brooks will be in contention for preseason ACC Player of the Year, and former five-star recruit Bacot had 11 double-doubles as a freshman in Chapel Hill. Then there’s incoming freshmen Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler, both of whom were top-15 recruits in the 2020 class. Sharpe is a dominant rebounder, and Kessler has a better offensive game. The four-man rotation could look a bit like it did in 2017, when Luke Maye and Tony Bradley played about one-third of the minutes in bench roles behind Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks."

The frontcourt is certainly something to keep an eye on as UNC will be deep in the post with four very good players including a pair of freshmen.

It’s likely that both Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot will be the starters but both Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler should see significant minutes. Plus, all four are good fits for Roy Williams’ system which is a fast-paced offense that wants to get out on the break. It’s very possible that the Tar Heels will have the best frontcourt in the nation next season.

But the backcourt? That appears to be the biggest question mark for UNC despite their Top 3 recruiting class coming in. That’s still the biggest storyline for me and I’m curious to see how it plays out.

For more on the UNC Basketball program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.