UNC Basketball: Tar Heels should go after Texas Tech transfer

The UNC basketball program will be an active participant in the transfer market this offseason.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are alive and well, preparing for a game with the Duke Blue Devils in what has become the most highly-anticipated Final Four matchup in history.

And while the Tar Heels have a roster loaded with talent that seems to be firing on all cylinders at just the right time, they may look quite a bit different next fall. That’s because a mass exodus could be on the horizon in Chapel Hill, as sharpshooter Brady Manek is out of college eligibility at the conclusion of the Final Four and he could be followed out the door by a few other UNC starters.

Leaky Black has the ability to come back to North Carolina for a fifth and final season — that due to the additional year of eligibility that the NCAA has granted due to the 2019-20 season that was so heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic — but there’s no guarantee that he will.

Armando Bacot is a junior and there’s a chance that his draft stock never gets any higher than it is now, giving him a reason to consider leaving college for the pros this spring. And after a couple of sensational NCAA Tournament showings, Caleb Love could end up entering his name into the NBA Draft early, too.

With that in mind, the Tar Heels are planning to reap the benefit of a robust and continually growing NCAA transfer portal. They’ve already reached out to at least one standout transfer player and I’ve got high hopes that they’ll reach out to another. But as more and more players continue to jump ship and look to find a new home for the 2022-23 season, my wish list continues to grow.

Terrance Shannon, Jr., a versatile guard that started 53 of his 83 games at Texas Tech over the past three seasons, is the latest player to enter the transfer portal that I’d like to see the Tar Heels go after. That’s particularly the case if they lose Leaky Black, as Shannon stands at 6-feet-6-inches tall and weighs 215 pounds. He isn’t nearly the defender that Black is, but he’s a markedly better offensive weapon. He averaged better than 10 points per game while shooting north of 45 percent from the floor and 38 percent from three-point range this season.

And even if Black sticks around but either Love or Bacot or both depart, Shannon still gives the Tar Heels another potential starter who could jump right in and make an immediate impact. He was a key member of the Red Raiders’ 27 wins and Sweet 16 appearance this season and I believe he could contribute similarly to the Tar Heels next fall.

We’ll continue to keep an eye on Terrance Shannon, Jr. and all of the Tar Heels’ activity in the transfer market, as it should begin heating up over the coming weeks.

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