Newcomers, not old heads key for UNC's national title hopes

Armando Bacot. Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Newcomers, not old heads key for North Carolina's national title hopes

By Tommy Fradenburg | Last updated 3/18/24

For any team that faces No. 1 seed North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, the names at the top of the scouting reports will be household ones: guard R.J. Davis and center Armando Bacot.

The duo has combined to play in 301 games since Bacot arrived in Chapel Hill in 2019-20. Davis won ACC Player of the Year this season while Bacot was voted second-team All-ACC and first-team all-defense in the conference.

But despite the well-earned accolades, their performances won't dictate how deep a run the Tar Heels make in the Big Dance. That responsibility will fall to a couple of newcomers — graduate transfer Cormac Ryan and freshman point guard Elliott Cadeau.

The 1-Seed in the West Region… NORTH CAROLINA!#MarchMadness @UNC_Basketball pic.twitter.com/YKFs2W1Ewc
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2024

Regardless of the outcome of games this season, both Davis and Bacot have produced consistently.

In losses, Davis has actually averaged more points per game (25) than in wins (20.4), while Bacot's scoring dropped by less than a point from 14.3 to 13.6 ppg. Bacot has also hauled in more rebounds per game in losses (11.6) than in wins (9.8).

This means that Davis and Bacot are probably going to leave their impression on the game regardless of the opponent. But in order to go on the six-game winning streak required to capture a national title, Davis and Bacot will need support.

A look at the top-4 seeds in the West Region ⬇️

1-seed UNC: Lost in ACC Tournament SF
2-seed Arizona: Lost in Pac-12 Tournament SF
3-seed Baylor: Lost in Big 12 Tournament SF
4-seed Alabama: Lost in SEC Tournament QF pic.twitter.com/vYaiWoKCeu
— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) March 18, 2024

In March three-point shooting, guard play and defense are three must-have's for a deep run. Ryan and Cadeau are capable of providing all three of these, but thus far this year, they haven't done so in UNC's losses.

In wins, Ryan is shooting 36.1 percent from deep, but just 28.6 percent in losses; while Cadeau's total field goal percentage drops by nearly 10 points in losses (44.2 to 33.4).

In North Carolina's loss to North Carolina State in the ACC championship game, Bacot and Davis combined to score 48 points, but Ryan and Cadeau shot a combined 4-for-15 for just 12 points.

If they repeat those stat lines, the top seed in the West will be in big trouble.

More must-reads: