UNC Basketball among the finalists for this Kentucky transfer

When John Calipari announced that he was departing Kentucky to take the Arkansas head coaching job, we discussed some players from last year's Wildcats squad who could make sense for the UNC basketball program via the transfer portal.

Adou Thiero was one of those players, as the 6-foot-8 wing would seemingly be a nice fit in Chapel Hill given his skillset.

Well, Hubert Davis and his staff agree on that notion, as they have been actively pursuing the Leetsdale, Pennsylvania native. Fortunately, Thiero is strongly considering the Tar Heels as well, as they've made his list of five finalists in his recruitment process.

Jeff Borzello was the first to report the news, as the UNC basketball program is joined by Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Indiana on Thiero's list of finalists.

It was expected that Kentucky (his former team) would be within the mix while Arkansas, due to the Calipari connection, would be heavily involved, while Pittsburgh would provide Thiero with an opportunity to play closer to home. North Carolina and Indiana are two programs that seem to ideally fit Theiro based on his playing style.

Mostly as a starter last season, Thiero was a shot-blocking presence for Kentucky, leading the team with 27 blocked shots this past season.

Thiero is one of those "glue guys" that seems to do a little bit of everything to help his team win. He's a versatile player who has grown since his initial arrival in Lexington, as he's a guy who could defend multiple positions while providing some production on the offensive side of the ball.

Depending on what happens with Harrison Ingram, the UNC basketball program could really benefit from adding a player like Adou Thiero. At this point, the Tar Heels seem to be heavily in the mix as this recruitment starts to come down to the wire.