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2020–21 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

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2020–21 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, First Round
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Record18–11 (10–6 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDean E. Smith Center
Seasons
2020–21 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 Virginia 13 – 4   .765 18 – 7   .720
No. 14 Florida State 11 – 4   .733 18 – 7   .720
No. 25 Virginia Tech 9 – 4   .692 15 – 7   .682
Georgia Tech † 11 – 6   .647 17 – 9   .654
Clemson 10 – 6   .625 16 – 8   .667
North Carolina 10 – 6   .625 18 – 11   .621
Louisville 8 – 5   .615 13 – 7   .650
Syracuse 9 – 7   .563 18 – 10   .643
NC State 9 – 8   .529 14 – 11   .560
Duke 9 – 9   .500 13 – 11   .542
Notre Dame 7 – 11   .389 11 – 15   .423
Pittsburgh 6 – 10   .375 10 – 12   .455
Miami (FL) 4 – 15   .211 10 – 17   .370
Wake Forest 3 – 15   .167 6 – 16   .273
Boston College 2 – 11   .154 4 – 16   .200
† 2021 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was coached by Roy Williams, who was in his 18th and final season as UNC's head men's basketball coach. The Tar Heels played their home games at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Tar Heels finished the 2020–21 season 18–11, 10–6 in ACC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. On February 27, 2021, Roy Williams won his 900th career game in a win over Florida State, becoming the 5th and fastest Division 1 men's head coach to reach the milestone. On March 6, 2021, UNC completed a season sweep over rival Duke in a 91-73 win. Following the win, Roy Williams kissed the Smith Center court, causing speculation of possible retirement. Williams later said it was because of the team's 10-1 home record.[1] As the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament, they defeated Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, before losing to Florida State in the semifinals. The Virginia Tech win would end up as Williams' 903rd and last win as a coach. North Carolina received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed and would lose in the first round to 9th-seeded Wisconsin in what would be Roy Williams' last game. Following the season, Roy Williams announced he would retire after 18 years as head coach of North Carolina. [2]

Previous Season

The Tar Heels finished the 2019–20 season 14–19, 6–14 in ACC play to finish in three-way tie for last place. As the No. 14 seed in the ACC Tournament, they defeated Virginia Tech before losing to Syracuse in the second round. Thought the Tar Heels were ineligible for postseason play due to their record, all postseason tournaments, including the remainder of the ACC Tournament, the NCAA Tournament, and NIT were canceled due to the pandemic.[3][4]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Cole Anthony 2 G 6'3" 190 Freshman New York, New York Declared For 2020 NBA Draft [5]
Brandon Robinson 4 G 6'5" 173 Senior Douglasville, Georgia Graduated
Shea Rush 11 F 6'5" 210 Senior Fairway, Kansas Graduated
Jeremiah Francis 13 G 6'0" 210 Freshman Reynoldsburg, Ohio Transferred to New Mexico [6]
Caleb Ellis 25 F 6'5" 190 Graduate Student [7] Apex, North Carolina Completed athletic eligibility
Justin Pierce 32 F 6'7" 210 Graduate Student [8] Glen Ellyn, Illinois Completed athletic eligibility
Robbie O'Han 34 G 6'2" 170 Senior Raleigh, North Carolina Graduated
Brandon Huffman 42 F 6'10" 255 Junior Goldsboro, North Carolina Transferred to Jacksonville State [9]
Christian Keeling 55 G 6'3" 180 Graduate Student [10] Augusta, Georgia Completed athletic eligibility

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Day'Ron Sharpe
C 		Greenville, NC Montverde Academy (FL) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 246 lb (112 kg) Jun 19, 2018 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94[11]
Walker Kessler
C 		Newnan, GA Woodward Academy (GA) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sep 22, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94[12]
Caleb Love
PG 		St. Louis, MO Christian Brothers College (MO) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oct 1, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94[13]
R. J. Davis
PG 		White Plains, NY Archbishop Stepinac (NY) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Oct 21, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 87[14]
Puff Johnson
SF 		Moon Township, PA Hillcrest Prep (AZ) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Nov 5, 2019 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 85[15]
Kerwin Walton
SG 		Hopkins, MN Hopkins (MN) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Apr 27, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 81[16]
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 3  247Sports: 2  ESPN: 3
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "North Carolina 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  • "2020 North Carolina Tar Heels Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020.

2021 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2021)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Dontrez Styles
SF 		Kinston, NC Kinston 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Apr 18, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 85
D'Marco Dunn
SG 		Tucson, AZ Westover (NC) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 30, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 37  247Sports: 37
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2020–21 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Anthony Harris 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 196 lb (89 kg) RS Fr Paul VI Catholic Woodbridge, VA
G/F 1 Leaky Black 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Cox Mill Concord, NC
G 2 Caleb Love 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Christian Brothers College St. Louis, MO
G 3 Andrew Platek 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Northfield Mount Hermon Guilderland, NY
G 4 R. J. Davis 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Archbishop Stepinac White Plains, NY
F/C 5 Armando Bacot 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So IMG Academy Richmond, VA
F/C 11 Day'Ron Sharpe 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Fr Montverde Academy Greenville, NC
F/C 13 Walker Kessler 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Woodward Academy Newnan, GA
G 14 Puff Johnson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Hillcrest Prep Moon Township, PA
F 15 Garrison Brooks 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Auburn Lafayette, AL
F/C 21 Sterling Manley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Jr Pickerington Central Pickerington, OH
F/C 22 Walker Miller (W) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr New Hampton Greensboro, NC
G 24 Kerwin Walton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Hopkins Hopkins, MN
G 25 Creighton Lebo (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Greenfield Wilson, NC
G 30 K. J. Smith (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Sr IMG Academy Calabasas, CA
F 34 Duwe Farris (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Myers Park Charlotte, NC
F 35 Ryan McAdoo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Saint Andrew's Boca Raton, FL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: December 28, 2020

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Armando Bacot Walker Kessler Sterling Manley
PF Garrison Brooks Day'Ron Sharpe Walker Miller
SF Leaky Black Andrew Platek Ryan McAdoo
SG Kerwin Walton Anthony Harris K. J. Smith
PG Caleb Love R.J. Davis Creighton Lebo

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-Conference Regular Season
November 25, 2020*
6:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 16 College of Charleston[17] W 79–60  1–0
  17 – Love   11 – Brooks   4 – Love  Dean Smith Center (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 30, 2020*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 14 vs. UNLV
Maui Invitational Quarterfinals 		W 78–51  2–0
  16 – Davis   10 – Black   4 – Love  Harrah's Cherokee Center (0)
Asheville, NC
December 1, 2020*
4:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 14 vs. Stanford
Maui Invitational semifinals 		W 67–63  3–0
  16 – Love   9 – Brooks   4 – Sharpe  Harrah's Cherokee Center (0)
Asheville, NC
December 2, 2020*
4:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 14 vs. No. 17 Texas
Maui Invitational finals 		L 67–69  3–1
  18 – Brooks   11 – Tied   3 – Davis  Harrah's Cherokee Center (0)
Asheville, NC
December 8, 2020*
7:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 16 at No. 3 Iowa
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		L 80–93  3–2
  17 – Brooks   11 – Bacot   8 – Davis  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (583)
Iowa City, IA
December 12, 2020
3:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		Elon Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[18] Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
December 12, 2020*
2:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		No. 16 NC Central[19] W 73–67  4–2
  19 – Bacot   11 – Bacot   4 – Love  Dean Smith Center (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
December 19, 2020*
2:00 p.m., CBS 		No. 22 vs. Kentucky
CBS Sports Classic 		W 75–63  5–2
  14 – Bacot   11 – Sharpe   6 – Love  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (0)
Cleveland, OH
ACC Regular Season
December 22, 2020
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 17 at NC State
Rivalry 		L 76–79  5–3
(0–1) 		 16 – Bacot   7 – Tied   4 – Tied  PNC Arena (0)
Raleigh, NC
December 30, 2020
8:00 p.m., ACCRSN 		at Georgia Tech L 67–72  5–4
(0–2) 		 14 – Bacot   11 – Brooks   4 – Tied  McCamish Pavilion (1,200)
Atlanta, GA
January 2, 2021
4:00 p.m., ACCN 		Notre Dame[20] W 66–65  6–4
(1–2) 		 25 – Sharpe   10 – Bacot   4 – Brooks  Dean Smith Center (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 5, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Miami (FL) W 67–65  7–4
(2–2) 		 16 – Black   16 – Sharpe   4 – Tied  Watsco Center (0)
Coral Gables, FL
January 9, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 19 Clemson Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[21] Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
January 12, 2021
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		Syracuse W 81–75  8–4
(3–2) 		 16 – Brooks   10 – Bacot   7 – Black  Dean Smith Center (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 16, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Florida State L 75–82  8–5
(3–3) 		 16 – Davis   6 – Sharpe   3 – 4 tied  Donald L. Tucker Center (2,850)
Tallahassee, FL
January 20, 2021
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		Wake Forest
Rivalry 		W 80–73  9–5
(4–3) 		 20 – Love   7 – Brooks   8 – Black  Dean Smith Center (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 23, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		NC State
Rivalry 		W 86–76  10–5
(5–3) 		 17 – Bacot   10 – Sharpe   5 – Love  Dean Smith Center (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 26, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Pittsburgh W 75–65  11–5
(6–3) 		 21 – Bacot   10 – Bacot   5 – Love  Petersen Events Center (500)
Pittsburgh, PA
February 2, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Clemson L 50–63  11–6
(6–4) 		 16 – Sharpe   9 – Brooks   2 – Davis  Littlejohn Coliseum (1,876)
Clemson, SC
February 6, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Duke
Rivalry 		W 91–87  12–6
(7–4) 		 25 – Love   9 – Sharpe   7 – Love  Cameron Indoor Stadium (0)
Durham, NC
February 8, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		Miami (FL) Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[22] Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
February 13, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 9 Virginia L 48–60  12–7
(7–5) 		 9 – Kessler   10 – Bacot   3 – Tied  John Paul Jones Arena (250)
Charlottesville, VA
February 16, 2021
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 18 Virginia Tech Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[23] Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
February 17, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Northeastern[24] W 82–62  13–7
  15 – Sharpe   13 – Brooks   9 – Love  Dean Smith Center (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 20, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		Louisville W 99–54  14–7
(8–5) 		 21 – Sharpe   11 – Sharpe   5 – Platek  Dean Smith Center (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 23, 2021
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Boston College Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[25] Conte Forum 
Chestnut Hill, MA
February 24, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Marquette[26] L 70–83  14–8
  18 – Brooks   11 – Sharpe   7 – Love  Dean Smith Center (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 27, 2021
4:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 11 Florida State W 78–70  15–8
(9–5) 		 20 – Kessler   8 – Kessler   4 – Black  Dean Smith Center (0)
Chapel Hill, NC
March 1, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Syracuse L 70–72  15–9
(9–6) 		 18 – Bacot   15 – Bacot   3 – Tied  Carrier Dome (0)
Syracuse, NY
March 6, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		Duke
Rivalry 		W 91–73  16–9
(10–6) 		 18 – Tied   6 – Bacot   7 – Love  Dean Smith Center (3,263)
Chapel Hill, NC
ACC Tournament
March 10, 2021
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		(6) vs. (11) Notre Dame
Second round 		W 101–59  17–9
  20 – Bacot   13 – Bacot   6 – Tied  Greensboro Coliseum (2,820)
Greensboro, NC
March 11, 2021
9:00 p.m., ESPN 		(6) vs. (3) No. 22 Virginia Tech
Quarterfinals 		W 81–73  18–9
  19 – Davis   13 – Bacot   3 – Tied  Greensboro Coliseum (2,820)
Greensboro, NC
March 12, 2021
8:30 p.m., ESPN 		(6) vs. (2) No. 15 Florida State
Semifinals 		L 66–69  18–10
  13 – Love   8 – Brooks   2 – Tied  Greensboro Coliseum (2,820)
Greensboro, NC
NCAA Tournament
March 19, 2021*
7:10 p.m., CBS 		(8 S) vs. (9 S) Wisconsin
First Round 		L 62–85  18–11
  15 – Bacot   10 – Brooks   3 – Love  Mackey Arena 
West Lafayette, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source:[27]

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

On January 18, 2021, Duke fell out of the AP Top 25 ranking for the first time since February 8, 2016. This broke a 59-year streak and marked the first time since December 25, 1961 that the powerhouse trio of Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina were all out of the Top 25 ranking.[28]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP1614162217RV————RVRVRVRVRV——Not released
Coaches1616^142117RV————RV——RVRVRV——

^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

  1. ^ Roy Williams Explains Kissing Center Court, retrieved 2021-04-03
  2. ^ "UNC icon Roy Williams retiring after 33 seasons". ESPN.com. 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  3. ^ "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships".
  4. ^ "Statement from ACC on Men's Basketball Tournament". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  5. ^ "North Carolina's Cole Anthony declares for 2020 NBA draft". Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  6. ^ "Men's Hoops Adds UNC Transfer Francis". University of New Mexico Athletics. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  7. ^ "Caleb Ellis Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  8. ^ "Justin Pierce Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  9. ^ "Men's basketball announces five spring signees". Jacksonville State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  10. ^ "Christian Keeling Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "Day'Ron Sharpe Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  12. ^ "Walker Kessler Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  13. ^ "Caleb Love Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  14. ^ "R.J. Davis Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  15. ^ "Donovan Johnson Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  16. ^ "Kerwin Walton Bio". Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  17. ^ Ross Martin (October 14, 2020). "UNC to Open Season vs. College of Charleston". 247sports.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  18. ^ "Elon Forced to Postpone Game Against UNC". 247sports.com. 247 Sports. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  19. ^ Greg Barnes (December 9, 2020). "UNC Adds N.C. Central to Basketball Schedule". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  20. ^ Adam Smith (December 31, 2020). "UNC to meet Notre Dame in replacement game on short notice as ACC reshuffles deck". thetimesnews.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  21. ^ "Clemson Men's Basketball Games at UNC and Syracuse Postponed; Syracuse at UNC Set for Jan. 12". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  22. ^ Medcalf, Myron (February 8, 2021). "Miami Hurricanes-North Carolina Tar Heels basketball game postponed after party video surfaces". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  23. ^ "Virginia Tech at North Carolina Men's Basketball Game Postponed". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast COnference. February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  24. ^ "North Carolina Tar Heels schedule game vs. Northeastern Huskies on Wednesday". ESPN.com. February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  25. ^ "ACC Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  26. ^ Greg Barnes (February 20, 2021). "UNC Schedules Game with Marquette". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  27. ^ "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule". goheels.com. University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  28. ^ Cassandra Negley (January 18, 2021). "Duke, UNC, Kentucky all outside of men's AP Top 25 for first time since 1961". Retrieved January 20, 2021.


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