Hubert Davis' UNC ranks dead last in analyst's Top 25 rankings following NBA draft early deadline

Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels are coming off a first-round exit in the NCAA tournament this past season. As a result, Davis has been working hard to improve the roster throughout the offseason. Unfortunately for them, while they have made several additions, they also have some notable losses.

Following the deadline for NCAA players to withdraw from the NBA draft, On3's Jamie Shaw posted his list of the top 25 teams heading into next season. While he had UNC on the list, they were ranked last. The list was as follows:

Purdue
Houston
UConn
St. John's
BYU
Michigan
Louisville
Kentucky
Florida
Duke
Texas Tech
Tennessee
Alabama
Crighton
Auburn
Arizona
Illinois
Kansas
Baylor
San Diego State
Oregon
Virginia
UCLA
Iowa State
UNC

Part of the reason Hubert Davis' UNC was at the bottom of the list is because while some teams got news that some of their players withdrew from the NBA draft process, the Tar Heels did not get the same news from one of their best players.

Freshman Drake Powell had a solid season, averaging 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. As a result, he decided to enter the draft process. He was then one of the standouts of the NBA combine, registering a 43-inch max vertical, four inches higher than any other prospect. As a result, he is now projected to be a late first-round pick.

Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels have several key returners next season

While Drake Powell is not returning, Jamie Shaw still included Hubert Davis' UNC squad on his top 25 list. It was last on the list, but being included is still an achievement. Part of the reason he included them is because of some of their key returners. Shaw listed Seth Trimble, Zayden High and James Brown as the three most important returners.

Of those three players, Trimble is the most established of the group. He took a big step forward this past year, averaging 11.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Brown and High are both young players who Shaw is projecting to step into bigger roles next season.

Another thing for North Carolina fans to look forward is the influx of talent to the team next year. They were active in both the transfer portal and on the recruiting front. Their recruiting class is led by five-star standout Caleb Wilson.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Alexander O'Reilly