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

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. They finished the 18–11, 10–6 in ACC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament, they defeated Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, before losing to Florida State in the semifinals. North Carolina received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest region. They lost in the First Round to 9th-seeded Wisconsin.

2020–21 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, First Round
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
2020–21 record18–11 (10–6 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDean E. Smith Center
2020–21 ACC men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 15 Virginia134 .765187  .720
No. 14 Florida State114 .733187  .720
No. 25 Virginia Tech94 .692157  .682
Georgia Tech116 .647179  .654
Clemson106 .625168  .667
North Carolina106 .6251811  .621
Louisville85 .615137  .650
Syracuse97 .5631810  .643
NC State98 .5291411  .560
Duke99 .5001311  .542
Notre Dame711 .3891115  .423
Pittsburgh610 .3751012  .455
Miami (FL)415 .2111017  .370
Wake Forest315 .167616  .273
Boston College211 .154416  .200
2021 ACC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

On February 27, 2021, Roy Williams won his 900th career game in a win over Florida State, becoming the 5th and fastest Division I 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]

Following the season, Williams announced he was retiring after 18 years as head coach of North Carolina and 33 years of coaching.[2][3] Several days later, the school named assistant coach Hubert Davis as the team's new head coach.[4]

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. Though 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.[5][6]

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Cole Anthony2G6'3"190FreshmanNew York, New YorkDeclared for the 2020 NBA Draft; selected 15th overall by the Orlando Magic.[7]
Brandon Robinson4G6'5"173SeniorDouglasville, GeorgiaGraduated
Shea Rush11F6'5"210SeniorFairway, KansasGraduated
Jeremiah Francis13G6'0"210FreshmanReynoldsburg, OhioTransferred to New Mexico[8]
Caleb Ellis25F6'5"190Graduate Student[9]Apex, North CarolinaCompleted athletic eligibility
Justin Pierce32F6'7"210Graduate Student[10]Glen Ellyn, IllinoisCompleted athletic eligibility
Robbie O'Han34G6'2"170SeniorRaleigh, North CarolinaGraduated
Brandon Huffman42F6'10"255JuniorGoldsboro, North CarolinaTransferred to Jacksonville State[11]
Christian Keeling55G6'3"180Graduate Student[12]Augusta, GeorgiaCompleted athletic eligibility

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 94[13]
Walker Kessler
C
Newnan, GA Woodward Academy (GA) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sep 22, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 94[14]
Caleb Love
PG
St. Louis, MO Christian Brothers College (MO) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Oct 1, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 94[15]
R. J. Davis
PG
White Plains, NY Archbishop Stepinac (NY) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Oct 21, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 87[16]
Puff Johnson
SF
Moon Township, PA Hillcrest Prep (AZ) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Nov 5, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 85[17]
Kerwin Walton
SG
Hopkins, MN Hopkins (MN) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Apr 27, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 81[18]
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

    Roster

    2020–21 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 0 Anthony Harris 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)196 lb (89 kg) RS FrPaul VI Catholic Woodbridge, VA
    G/F 1 Leaky Black 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)195 lb (88 kg) JrCox Mill Concord, NC
    G 2 Caleb Love 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrChristian Brothers College St. Louis, MO
    G 3 Andrew Platek 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrNorthfield Mount Hermon Guilderland, NY
    G 4 R. J. Davis 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)160 lb (73 kg) FrArchbishop Stepinac White Plains, NY
    F/C 5 Armando Bacot 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)240 lb (109 kg) SoIMG Academy Richmond, VA
    F/C 11 Day'Ron Sharpe 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)265 lb (120 kg) FrMontverde Academy Greenville, NC
    F/C 13 Walker Kessler 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)245 lb (111 kg) FrWoodward Academy Newnan, GA
    G 14 Puff Johnson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrHillcrest Prep Moon Township, PA
    F 15 Garrison Brooks 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)240 lb (109 kg) SrAuburn Lafayette, AL
    F/C 21 Sterling Manley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)250 lb (113 kg) RS JrPickerington Central Pickerington, OH
    F/C 22 Walker Miller (W) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)235 lb (107 kg) SrNew Hampton Greensboro, NC
    G 24 Kerwin Walton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) FrHopkins Hopkins, MN
    G 25 Creighton Lebo (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)160 lb (73 kg) FrGreenfield Wilson, NC
    G 30 K. J. Smith (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg) RS SrIMG Academy Calabasas, CA
    F 34 Duwe Farris (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoMyers Park Charlotte, NC
    F 35 Ryan McAdoo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS JrSaint 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

    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[19] 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[20] Dean Smith Center 
    Chapel Hill, NC
    December 12, 2020*
    2:00 p.m., ACCRSN
    No. 16 NC Central[21] 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[22] 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[23] 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[24] 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[25] Dean Smith Center 
    Chapel Hill, NC
    February 17, 2021*
    7:00 p.m., ACCNX
    Northeastern[26] 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[27] Conte Forum 
    Chestnut Hill, MA
    February 24, 2021*
    7:00 p.m., ESPN2
    Marquette[28] 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:[29]

    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.[30]

    Ranking movements
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    — = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.
    Week
    PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
    AP1614162217RVRVRVRVRVRVNot released
    Coaches1616^142117RVRVRVRVRV

    ^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. "UNC's Williams retires: 'No longer the right man'". ESPN.com. 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
    4. Pickman, Ben. "UNC Hires Hubert Davis as Next Head Coach". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
    5. "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships".
    6. "Statement from ACC on Men's Basketball Tournament". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
    7. "North Carolina's Cole Anthony declares for 2020 NBA draft". Retrieved April 17, 2020.
    8. "Men's Hoops Adds UNC Transfer Francis". University of New Mexico Athletics. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
    9. "Caleb Ellis Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
    10. "Justin Pierce Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
    11. "Men's basketball announces five spring signees". Jacksonville State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
    12. "Christian Keeling Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
    13. "Day'Ron Sharpe Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
    14. "Walker Kessler Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
    15. "Caleb Love Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
    16. "R.J. Davis Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
    17. "Donovan Johnson Bio". Retrieved April 1, 2020.
    18. "Kerwin Walton Bio". Retrieved April 27, 2020.
    19. Ross Martin (October 14, 2020). "UNC to Open Season vs. College of Charleston". 247sports.com. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
    20. "Elon Forced to Postpone Game Against UNC". 247sports.com. 247 Sports. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
    21. Greg Barnes (December 9, 2020). "UNC Adds N.C. Central to Basketball Schedule". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
    22. 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.
    23. "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.
    24. Medcalf, Myron (February 8, 2021). "Miami Hurricanes-North Carolina Tar Heels basketball game postponed after party video surfaces". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
    25. "Virginia Tech at North Carolina Men's Basketball Game Postponed". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
    26. "North Carolina Tar Heels schedule game vs. Northeastern Huskies on Wednesday". ESPN.com. February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
    27. "ACC Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theacc.com. The Atlantic Coast Conference. February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
    28. Greg Barnes (February 20, 2021). "UNC Schedules Game with Marquette". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
    29. "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule". goheels.com. University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
    30. 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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