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UNC Basketball: Two Tar Heels Selected in ESPN “Fantasy Draft”

By Mark DeMott

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 25: Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels falls on top of Tyger Campbell #10 of the UCLA Bruins as Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Myles Johnson #15 of the UCLA Bruins look on in the first half of the game in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 25: Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels falls on top of Tyger Campbell #10 of the UCLA Bruins as Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Myles Johnson #15 of the UCLA Bruins look on in the first half of the game in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Center on March 25, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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ESPN.com released a college basketball preseason “fantasy draft”, and a pair of UNC basketball standouts were selected.

With the college basketball season less than one month away, anticipation for the sport is building rapidly.  This morning ESPN.com held a “Fantasy Draft“, where three of their college hoops analysts drafted teams of some of the best players in the nation.

As expected, the top of the draft was filled with big men.  The first round included three post players, however, there was one notable exception.

Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Gonzaga’s Drew Timme were the first three players selected, as star Tar Heel big man Armando Bacot fell to the third round and the eighth overall pick.  John Gassaway got the steal of the draft in Bacot, and here is what he had to say about the senior:

"Let’s not overthink this. Bacot closed last season with eight consecutive double-doubles spanning the ACC and NCAA tournaments. That run included his downright Tshiebwe-like 21-rebound effort in just 33 minutes against Duke in the Final Four. With Bacot, I get a two-way rebounding machine and volume 2-point scorer who also happens to be a returning first-team All-ACC performer and, oh, yes, the 2022 East Region Most Outstanding Player. That’ll do."

Bacot wasn’t the only Tar Heel taken in the draft, as Caleb Love was selected by Myron Medcalf with the 15th overall pick in the fifth round.  Here’s what he had to say about the Carolina guard:

"I love the Bolton pick, Gasaway. A smart veteran who finally gets a slice of the spotlight on a team with national title aspirations. Kudos. Love will play that role for North Carolina this year. He’ll boost my backcourt, too. And yes, I can hear the doubters around a player who can be both brilliant and misguided. But I’m banking on the Caleb Love who scored 28 points in the Final Four win over Duke — not the guy who went 5-for-24 in the national championship game."

While there are some Tar Heels who have a case to be included on this list (Hello RJ Davis), it is exciting for UNC fans to know that they will have some of the best players in the country this year.  Bacot, Love, and the rest of the Heels open the season in less than a month against UNCW.

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