North Carolina made a big splash this offseason, hiring Mike Malone to be the new head coach in Chapel Hill. Malone comes from coaching in the NBA for over twenty seasons, including winning the 2023 NBA Championship while coaching the Denver Nuggets.

Malone assembled an almost entirely new roster. Jarin Stevenson was the only returner who had a large role on last season's roster.

The expectations may not be winning a national championship this season, but Tar Heel fans are going to expect UNC to be competitive among the top of the ACC and have the chance to go on a run in March.

UNC projected starting lineup and rotation

North Carolina was tested in their exhibition against Charlotte, winning 89-82 behind a 9-0 run to close the game. This doesn't mean that UNC is not going to find success this season, it just may take a bit of time for everything to gel. It is worth noting that Matt Able didn't play in the game.

If North Carolina is able to reach their ceiling, it'll be in part because of what Neoklis Avdalas is able to do. The 6-foot-9 wing can play any position from point guard through power forward. Against Charlotte, he had 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, highlighting his ability to impact the game in a multiude of ways.

This is a roster talented enough to both make the NCAA Tournament and also try and make a bit of noise in March. The biggest question will be how Mike Malone transitions from coaching in the NBA for so long to the modern day college basketball system.

UNC's backcourt will be their strength

The starting trio of Terrence Brown, Matt Able, and Neoklis Avdalas give North Carolina multiple weapons to attack with. Brown is a high-volume, lead guard who can operate with the ball in his hands to score or facilitate for others. Malone made it a priority to get quality guards, and Brown checks off that box.

Matt Able can be a good connecting guard as someone who can play quality defense while helping to space the floor on offense. He doesn't need the ball in his hands to contribute.

Neoklis Avdalas will be an important name for North Carolina this season. He can operate as a jumbo point guard, having an assist rate of 26.5 last season. He'll need to become more efficient scoring the ball as he shot just 45 percent from two and 31 percent from three last season for Virginia Tech. If he can put everything together, there'll be very few players his size who can do as many things as he can.

UNC's frontcourt can provide stability

The frontcourt rotation of 6-foot-10 Jarin Stevenson, 6-foot-11 Alex Samodurov, and 7-foot-1 Sayon Keita give North Carolina the size to compete on the interior.

Stevenson returned to North Carolina after averaging 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 25 minutes per game last season. He'll be able to bring veteran leadership to a rather young team, and there's hope that he could take a jump scoring the ball. Stevenson was very efficient on the interior, but he shot just 29 percent from three last season.

Alex Samodurov and Sayon Keita both come from overseas for their first season of collegiate basketball.

Samodurov is a 21-year-old from Greece who has the ability to play both the 4 and the 5 for the Tar Heels. He's a floor spacer who has a lot of offensive skill to his game.

Sayon Keita is an 18 year old from Mali, who played for FC Barcelona last season. He's a lanky big with the ability to provide rim protection and rebounding on both ends of the floor. He's still developing his offensive skill, but that may not be needed much this season.

UNC's depth will need to develop

North Carolina could end up with a quality bench, but a lot of their players are unproven at this level. As mentioned above, Alex Samodurov will be the primary backup big with his ability to play both the 4 and the 5. Cade Bennerman is another 7-footer who could eventually see the floor.

Maximo Adams and Kevin Thomas come in as 4-star freshmen wings for UNC. Adams is a great shooter and scorer of the ball at all three levels, and he's had flashes of positive playmaking abilities. Thomas is a lanky wing with really good athleticism who can potentially develop into a 3-and-D type player.

Jaydon Young and Isaiah Denis both returned to UNC after not having major roles last season. Young is a guard who can get hot in a hurry, although he isn't an efficient scorer overall. Denis didn't get much run as a freshman, but he has upside with his ability to be a combo guard.