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
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	18–11 (10–6 ACC)
Head coach	Roy Williams (18th season)
Assistant coaches	Steve Robinson (18th season) Hubert Davis (9th season) Brad Frederick (4th season)
Home arena	Dean E. Smith Center
Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 ACC men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 15 Virginia	13	–	4		.765			18	–	7		.720
No. 14 Florida State	11	–	4		.733			18	–	7		.720
No. 25 Virginia Tech	9	–	4		.692			15	–	7		.682
Georgia Tech †	11	–	6		.647			17	–	9		.654
Clemson	10	–	6		.625			16	–	8		.667
North Carolina	10	–	6		.625			18	–	11		.621
Louisville	8	–	5		.615			13	–	7		.650
Syracuse	9	–	7		.563			18	–	10		.643
NC State	9	–	8		.529			14	–	11		.560
Duke	9	–	9		.500			13	–	11		.542
Notre Dame	7	–	11		.389			11	–	15		.423
Pittsburgh	6	–	10		.375			10	–	12		.455
Miami (FL)	4	–	15		.211			10	–	17		.370
Wake Forest	3	–	15		.167			6	–	16		.273
Boston College	2	–	11		.154			4	–	16		.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

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Cole Anthony	2	G	6'3"	190	Freshman	New York, New York	Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 15th overall by the Orlando Magic.[7]
Brandon Robinson	4	G	6'5"	173	Senior	Douglasville, Georgia	Graduated
Shea Rush	11	F	6'5"	210	Senior	Fairway, Kansas	Graduated
Jeremiah Francis	13	G	6'0"	210	Freshman	Reynoldsburg, Ohio	Transferred to New Mexico[8]
Caleb Ellis	25	F	6'5"	190	Graduate Student[9]	Apex, North Carolina	Completed athletic eligibility
Justin Pierce	32	F	6'7"	210	Graduate Student[10]	Glen Ellyn, Illinois	Completed athletic eligibility
Robbie O'Han	34	G	6'2"	170	Senior	Raleigh, North Carolina	Graduated
Brandon Huffman	42	F	6'10"	255	Junior	Goldsboro, North Carolina	Transferred to Jacksonville State[11]
Christian Keeling	55	G	6'3"	180	Graduate Student[12]	Augusta, Georgia	Completed 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Dontrez Styles SF	Kinston, NC	Kinston	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Apr 18, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 85
D'Marco Dunn SG	Tucson, AZ	Westover (NC)	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 30, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 37  247Sports: 37
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 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020. "2021 North Carolina Tar Heels Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020.

Roster

2020–21 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Anthony Harris 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 196 lb (89 kg) RS Fr Paul VI Catholic Woodbridge, VA G/F 1 Leaky Black 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Cox Mill Concord, NC G 2 Caleb Love 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Christian Brothers College St. Louis, MO G 3 Andrew Platek 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Northfield Mount Hermon Guilderland, NY G 4 R. J. Davis 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Archbishop Stepinac White Plains, NY F/C 5 Armando Bacot 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So IMG Academy Richmond, VA F/C 11 Day'Ron Sharpe 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Fr Montverde Academy Greenville, NC F/C 13 Walker Kessler 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Woodward Academy Newnan, GA G 14 Puff Johnson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Hillcrest Prep Moon Township, PA F 15 Garrison Brooks 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Auburn Lafayette, AL F/C 21 Sterling Manley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Jr Pickerington Central Pickerington, OH F/C 22 Walker Miller (W) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr New Hampton Greensboro, NC G 24 Kerwin Walton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Hopkins Hopkins, MN G 25 Creighton Lebo (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Greenfield Wilson, NC G 30 K. J. Smith (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS Sr IMG Academy Calabasas, CA F 34 Duwe Farris (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Myers Park Charlotte, NC F 35 Ryan McAdoo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr Saint Andrew's Boca Raton, FL	Head coach Roy Williams (North Carolina) Assistant coach(es) Steve Robinson (Radford) Hubert Davis (North Carolina) Brad Frederick (North Carolina) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt 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

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball 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
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	16	14	16	22	17	RV	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	Not released
Coaches	16	16^	14	21	17	RV	—	—	—	—	RV	—	—	RV	RV	RV	—	—

^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

1. Roy Williams Explains Kissing Center Court, retrieved April 3, 2021
2. "UNC icon Roy Williams retiring after 33 seasons". ESPN.com. April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
3. "UNC's Williams retires: 'No longer the right man'". ESPN.com. April 1, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
4. Pickman, Ben. "UNC Hires Hubert Davis as Next Head Coach". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
5. "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships".
6. "Statement from ACC on Men's Basketball Tournament". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved March 12, 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 May 12, 2020.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
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 May 12, 2020.
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.