UNC’s 2025-26 starting point guard named Top 50 transfer portal player

The college basketball transfer portal opened on Tuesday – and chaos will ensure. Teams will have entirely different starting lineups this coming season, while veteran teams will add top talent.

UNC currently has seven guys in the portal, including wing Jonathan Powell and forward Zayden High. North Carolina has plenty of work to do, but with Michael Malone’s hiring, the ability to attract top-tier talent is now easier.

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One of the Tar Heels’ greatest losses is Derek Dixon, who entered his name in the portal on Monday afternoon. In terms of USA TODAY Sports’ top available transfers, Dixon slots in at 47th.

Dixon, the only UNC player on this list, is sandwiched between Tulane’s Rowan Brumbaugh (46) and Troy’s Thomas Dowd. Kansas big man Flory Bidunga leads the list, while Wake Forest’s Juke Harris is second.

A freshman from just outside of Washington, D.C., Dixon quickly emerged as North Carolina’s starting point guard. Dixon anchored the Tar Heels’ road comeback win at Kentucky on December 2, then recorded a then-career high 14 points against Georgetown five days later.

In 16 starts across 33 games, Dixon averaged 6.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game, while shooting a solid 81.8 percent on free throws.

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UNC initially landed Kyan Evans to run the offense, but his inconsistency led Hubert Davis to re-evaluate the backcourt. Dixon may not be the 20-points-a-game guard, but North Carolina’s offense flowed extremely smooth under him.

Good news for Tar Heel Nation: Dixon left the option open to a return. There’s plentiful guys who’ll want to play for Malone, who also likely wants players already familiar with UNC.

If Dixon comes back, North Carolina has a crucial key for its 2026-27 roster. If Dixon leaves, there’s no doubt the Tar Heels will find his replacement.

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This article originally appeared on Tar…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/uncs-2025-26-starting-point-120312471.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-08 12:03:00

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