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UNC Basketball: Season opener vs. Radford preview

By Nick Delahanty

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 27: RJ Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts to a three-point basket by the reserves during the second half of their game against the Saint Augustine Falcons at the Dean E. Smith Center on October 27, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 117-53. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 27: RJ Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts to a three-point basket by the reserves during the second half of their game against the Saint Augustine Falcons at the Dean E. Smith Center on October 27, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 117-53. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The 2023-2024 college basketball season is here! We preview the UNC basketball program’s opener against non-conference foe Radford. 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!!

No, we’re still a few weeks away from the holiday season… I’m referring to the start of the college basketball season!

Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program will get the season started on Monday night, as they’ll host Radford to kick off non-conference action.

The Tar Heels are coming off a season we’d all like to forget, as they fell short of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. With a new-look roster, North Carolina isn’t looking to just get back to March Madness; they aspire to make a deep run once they get there.

Their first test comes in the form of the Radford Highlanders of the Big South Conference. Similar to the Tar Heels, the Highlanders feature a handful of newcomers, as the new faces will look to help improve upon last season’s second-place finish in the conference.

What can we expect from this opening night matchup? We break it all down for you!

Key to Victory for North Carolina

Radford features one of the best backcourt duos in the Big South, as veteran guards DaQuan Smith and Bryan Antoine have proven their ability to score the basketball at any given point.

The Highlanders are going to be willing to shoot, and the Tar Heels must make sure that they don’t allow too many open shots. They were very successful at scoring in bunches a season ago, as North Carolina must find a way to make quality shots difficult to find throughout the 40 minutes of play.

Offensively, taking care of the basketball will be the key. Radford plays with a ton of energy, as they look to cause chaos by sending different styles of pressure, from pressing the ball to trapping the ball-handler. This will fall on RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau, and others, as turnovers need to be avoided as much as possible.

Something to Watch For

We saw how Hubert Davis utilized his depth in a blowout exhibition contest, but how does that translate into real game action?

Remember, Jae’Lyn Withers and Seth Trimble were not available for the exhibition game. Will either player suit up on opening night? If so, how does that impact the minutes of others?

As North Carolina continues to search for the right mix, don’t be stunned if Davis does go deep into his bench. This contest may be the start of telling us what we can expect from the Tar Heels rotation as the season gets underway.

Last Meeting

North Carolina defeated Radford 95-50 to improve to 8-1 on the 2016-2017 season back on December 4, 2016.

The UNC basketball program had four players score in double-figures, led by Kenny Williams’ game-high 19 points. Kennedy Meeks (13 points, nine rebounds) fell one rebound shy of a double-double, while freshman Tony Bradley recorded a double-double with his 10-point, 11-rebound performance.

Projected Starters

No. 3 Cormac Ryan (Gr. 6-5, 195)
No. 4 RJ Davis (Sr. 6-0, 180)
No. 5 Armando Bacot (Gr., 6-11, 240)
No. 8 Paxson Wojcik (Gr. 6-5, 195)
No. 55 Harrison Ingram (Jr. 6-7, 235)

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