Following the injury to senior captain Seth Trimble, the UNC basketball program now has a void to fill within its starting lineup.
While some may think that the decision to fill Trimble's spot in the starting lineup will be an easy one for Hubert Davis and his staff to make, there are a couple of different options that the Tar Heels could roll with.
This is the perk of having a ton of guard depth on the roster.
We all expect the rest of the starting lineup to remain the same. Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar will continue to hold it down in the frontcourt while Jarin Stevenson and Kyan Evans will maintain their roles among the starting unit. That fifth spot, however, is up for grabs, and there's a few ways the Tar Heels can attempt to fill it.
The obvious choice
Luka Bogavac.
Deemed eligible for the 2025-2026 season essentially a half hour before the season opener, Bogavac has played as a reserve in his first two games of his college basketball career.
Given the hype surrounding him, especially with the experience he came to Chapel Hill with under his belt, inserting him into the starting lineup essentially makes the most sense given the circumstances.
While Bogavac isn't nearly the defender that Trimble is, he does have a leg up on him in terms of shooting the basketball. You'd have to believe that shots will start to fall, especially as he continues to get into a rhythm with his new team in this brand-new setting for the international product.
An intriguing possibility
If Hubert Davis is looking to fill the role with another strong defender, Jonathan Powell just might get his shot as a starter.
Remember, Powell started 23 games a season ago at West Virginia and is more than capable of handling a bigger role. While Powell is an efficient scorer, his length and athleticism make him an intriguing candidate to insert into the starting lineup with the intention of him assuming a significant role on the defensive side of the ball.
It might ultimately come down to whether Hubert Davis aims to fill Trimble's spot with a offensive-minded player or a defensive minded one.
A long-shot, but still a possibility
If you've watched the UNC basketball program early on this season, you'd notice that Trimble has taken on a bigger role as a ball-handler.
It was evident in the second half of the win over Kansas, a game in which Trimble's ability to facilitate helped the offense heat up. One player impacted by this was Kyan Evans, who struggled shooting the ball through the first half.
Once Evans was playing a little more off-ball in the second half, the talented shooter's confidence was growing, especially when he connected on two important three-pointers.
How about this for a wildcard scenario: true freshman Derek Dixon slides into the starting lineup, fulfilling the role of the main point guard.
This option might be a little premature, given Dixon is only two games into his college basketball career. However, we should expect to see a lot of this pairing with Dixon and Evans, as there will be times that Davis calls upon his freshman guard to handle the ball in an attempt to get Evans some open looks (ones that he won't have to generate on his own).
The UNC basketball program isn't giving up on Evans being the point guard by any means. They are in a position of strength when it comes to guard play- as they have multiple guards who can handle the basketball.
In Evans' case, he has done a good job thus far of being the point guard they hope he will be, but the staff also realizes he has a ton of potential as a scorer that they are looking to utilize as well. Having Dixon among the starters would enable them to pursue that concept further.
Projected Starters
Based on what we know, it's likely that Luka Bogavac will be inserted into the starting lineup.
While Bogavac will probably be among the starting unit, don't expect him to fully cover all of the minutes that Trimble would typically play. Both Powell and Dixon (along with others, such as Jaydon Young and potentially Isaiah Denis as well) will have their crack at earning minutes during this time, as each player provides Hubert Davis with options to work with based on different situations that come along.
Losing Trimble is not ideal in any way, but having options to fill the void certainly helps.