Cade Tyson among Travis Branham's transfer portal ranking misses

While there's been plenty of disappointment for the UNC basketball program during the 2024-2025 season, one of the biggest disappointments comes from the lack of production from Cade Tyson.

After lighting it up offensively at Belmont, Tyson was brought in with the hopes of him being the versatile "stretch four" that is so vital in Hubert Davis' system. While fans hopes Tyson would be more like a Brady Manek type, Tyson has shown flashes of Justin Pierce, another former mid-major transfer who was flat-out awful during his lone season at North Carolina.

Travis Branham of 247Sports took a look at 15 transfer portal ranking misses from the 2024 transfer cycle. To no surprise, Branham had classified Tyson as "Ranked Too High."

Here's what Branham had to say about Tyson:

2024 Transfer Ranking: No. 34 overall

"Like Aidan Mahaney,  Cade Tyson is another lesson in avoiding groupthink and trusting your own evaluations. Having watched Tyson closely over the past five years, both in high school and at Belmont, I initially saw him as an impactful mid-major player with a clear shooting specialty.

At Belmont, he found the perfect system, thriving as a catch-and-shoot marksman. However, it was evident that his defensive limitations would be an issue, meaning he'd need to shoot at an elite level while relying on teammates for defensive cover.

Since transferring to North Carolina, Tyson's confidence has taken a hit—so much so that this once-elite shooter is now bricking threes off the side of the backboard.

I was lower on Tyson heading into the transfer portal, but some of my colleagues (no names, but you know who you are!) believed he had NBA potential. I tried to split the difference, and I was still very wrong.

The athleticism and toughness of high-major basketball, even in a down year for the ACC, have left Tyson a shell of himself."

Of course, it's difficult to really determine how a mid-major player will adjust to a higher level of basketball, especially the level that North Carolina plays at. Tyson simply hasn't adjusted well and has been essentially a non-factor for the Tar Heels, as his play has relegated him to a player that sparingly sees the floor.

Tyson lost that sense of being a knockdown shooter, as fans don't want to even recall his missed three pointer against Duke (one that hit the top of the backboard...). Needless to say, this has been one major miss for the UNC basketball program in the transfer portal.