Can Hubert Davis Unlock UNC’s True Potential and Silence the Doubters in 2025-26?

It’s no secret that UNC basketball is staring down a tough challenge as it transitions into the next season. With the departure of RJ Davis—whose remarkable five-year tenure left a towering mark with 2,725 points, placing him among the all-time greats in both Tar Heel and ACC history—the Tar Heels now face the daunting task of filling the void of a bona fide go-to guard. Adding to the complexity, Ian Jackson, fresh off a record-setting freshman campaign, has moved on to St. John’s, leaving another gap in the backcourt. Though Coach Hubert Davis has six guards committed for 2025-26, the collective scoring punch they bring just can’t yet match the firepower that’s walking out the door. That’s the crux of the matter: UNC’s Final Four runs have historically hinged on a high-scoring guard stepping up at crunch time. Right now, the question on everyone’s minds is who will carry that torch next. Seth Trimble and transfer Kyan Evans offer promise as reliable scorers, but can they—or any of the newcomers—elevate their games enough to propel the Tar Heels beyond the First Four and back into serious national title contention? It’s a storyline laden with both uncertainty and potential, one that’s bound to shape the identity of the Tar Heels moving forward. LEARN MORE

AI-assisted summary
• Seth Trimble and Kyan Evans are the only current UNC guards to have averaged double-digit points in a season.
• UNC historically relies on high-scoring guards in Final Four runs, making finding a replacement for Davis crucial.

With RJ Davis no longer in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels desperately need another guard to fill the gap as a go-to scorer. They also have to replace Ian Jackson, who set a UNC record by scoring 23 or more points in four straight games as a freshman and averaged 11.9 points per game. Jackson entered the transfer portal on April 7 and picked St. John’s on April 21.UNC basketball has a glaring hole as the calendar flips to May. As of April 29, fifth-year coach Hubert Davis has six guards committed to play for the Tar Heels in the 2025-26 season. Those players have combined for 1,648 points in eight combined seasons of college hoops experience. Davis, an All-American guard and ACC Player of the Year, will have his No. 4 jersey hanging from the rafters of the Smith Center at some point in the future. He averaged nearly 20 points per game in his final two seasons.

No Tar Heel guard has scored more points than RJ Davis, who finished his five-year career with 2,725 points as the second-leading scorer in UNC history and third on the ACC’s all-time list.

Seth Trimble returns for UNC, Tar Heels add guards via transfer portal

Of the six guards set to suit up for UNC, senior Seth Trimble and Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans are the lone players in the group to average double-digit points in a season. Trimble averaged 11.6 points, 5 rebounds and 1.4 steals as the Tar Heels’ top two-way player last season. 

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to[email protected].Evans, Virginia Tech transfer Jaydon Young and West Virginia transfer Jonathan Powell were guards added via the portal. Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis are the latest freshmen guards to choose UNC. 

Each of the 2025 Final Four participants had a guard who averaged at least 12.3 points per game. Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr., who averaged 22.3 points in the NCAA Tournament, was named the Most Outstanding Player after leading the Gators to a national championship.With RJ Davis gone, UNC is in need of a bucket-getting guard. After a few big-time scoring performances as a junior, Trimble looks like the most likely candidate to step into that role.But UNC will need at least one of its guards to go from solid to superb if the Tar Heels are going to go from a First Four berth to competing for a spot in the Final Four. In each of UNC’s last six Final Four appearances, UNC’s top scoring guard averaged at least 15.4 points per game. But, as a whole, that role remains unknown for a program that has traditionally featured some of the best guards in the sport. Evans averaged 10.6 points, Powell averaged 8.3 points and Young averaged 8.1 points per game last season. Those are solid additions for the Tar Heels to surround a frontcourt that includes five-star recruit Caleb Wilson, Alabama transfer Jarin Stevenson and Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar.