UNC basketball is special but still not close to powerhouse

UNC basketball is special but still not close to powerhouse originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Times are changing and the last people to get that seem to be those running historically successful programs. Recently, the University of North Carolina decided to move on from head coach Hubert Davis. 

That move created a general sense that UNC can secure any coach they may want, simply because they are North Carolina. It’s easy to see why people think that. History, hardware, sustained success over time, yet very little of that still carries the weight it once did. 

NIL and the transfer portal have changed the formula. Before, the majority of players tried to land at the top programs. Even a legend like Michael Jordan was expected to sit on the bench and wait for his time, conceptually. The idea back then was so ubiquitous that the idea of a freshman taking the game-winning shot in a national championship game was considered lunacy. 

Such an eventuality does not exist today.  There is no scenario where a Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant or AJ Dybantsa type talent is going to sit and bide their time. That hasn’t been common for over 20 years now. It’s a completely untenable post-NIL era. Because of that, great players are more likely to go to schools where they can play immediately after being with a storied program.

College athletics is now more than ever determined by the players you can get; how much they can make and how a coach can turn that into a winning team. Look no further than this year’s NCAA Tournament. 

There are plenty of historically dominant teams in the field. Duke, Arizona, UConn, Michigan State, etc. However, there are also St. John’s, Purdue, Alabama, Illinois and Iowa State that all made the Sweet 16. The days of the same 5-10 teams dominating the Tournament are over.

Advertisement

UNC suffers from what have you done for me lately

The last ten years are an important sample size as it mirrors the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/unc-basketball-special-still-not-141907660.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-04-02 14:19:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.