Top 3 players on Hubert Davis' UNC squad to watch out for in 2024–25 season
Hubert Davis will return for his fourth season as the UNC coach after winning the ACC Coach of the Year award last season. Davis and the Tar Heels are coming off a 29-8 record as the ACC regular season champions.
UNC now gears up for the 2024–25 season and will feature one of the country's top players returning to the team. With the college basketball offseason in full swing, here are the top three players from North Carolina on Davis' squad to watch out for in the upcoming season.
Also read: Top 3 players on Nate Oats' Alabama squad who could make an impact in 2024-25 season
Top 3 players on Hubert Davis' UNC squad to watch out for in 2024
RJ Davis, Guard
North Carolina guard RJ Davis has decided to return to the program for his fifth season of eligibility after being named a consensus All-American and ACC Player of the Year last season. Davis has 138 total appearances with UNC and 118 starts in his collegiate career.
Davis has an elite scoring ability, leading the ACC with 21.2 points per game last season. He will once again be vital to Hubert Davis' team in 2024 after veterans Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram moved on.
He was outstanding in the NCAA Tournament last season through the first two rounds but seemingly ran out of gas late in UNC's March Madness run. After shooting over 45% in the first two rounds, his shooting percentage dropped to just 20.0% in its 89-87 loss to Alabama in the Sweet 16.
His return to UNC will give him one final chance to help Hubert Davis earn his first national title as a coach after only making it as far as the Final Four in 2021-2022.
Cade Tyson, Forward
Small forward Cade Tyson was a massive transfer portal acquisition for Hubert Davis and UNC. Tyson is an elite shotmaker who knocked down 46.5% of his shots from beyond the arc last season. He was the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2022–23 and was All-MVC last season.
He averaged a career-high 16.2 points per game with 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in his sophomore season and will give the Tar Heels an outside shooting threat with good size. He'll now have the chance to showcase his skillset at one of the most historically successful programs in the country.
Tyson was not a heavily recruited player out of high school, but he has quickly developed into a college basketball player to watch out for. He was ranked as the 35th-best overall transfer and the eighth-ranked transfer at small forward by 247Sports.
Also Read: Top 5 college basketball programs heading into 2024 season ft. Kansas
Ian Jackson, Guard/Forward
Ian Jackson will join Hubert Davis and UNC as one of the country's top freshman recruits. The five-star recruit was ranked as the eighth overall recruit by 247Sports in the 2024 class.
He played high school basketball at Our Savior Lutheran School in the Bronx, New York, and received 14 offers from some of the nation's top basketball programs. The schools that made offers to Jackson include UConn, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA and Arkansas.
Jackson is an outstanding player on both ends of the floor with a slim but strong, 6-4, 180-pound frame. He has good speed to operate in the open floor but can also play within a structured offensive system. His game can be inconsistent at times, but he has an extremely high ceiling. His competitive nature and energy could flourish at UNC under Hubert Davis.
Which player do you think will have the biggest impact for Hubert Davis and UNC in the 2024–25 season? Let us know your college basketball predictions in the comment section.
Also read: Top 10 men's college basketball players who could make an impact in 2024 season