Analysis: How will UNC men's basketball adapt to the loss of Cole Anthony?

With the departure of first-year guard Cole Anthony, the Tar Heels must look to adjust their game plan.

Anthony has been a projected lottery pick for the 2020 NBA Draft before even committing to UNC, so his announcement to go pro on Friday surprised no one. If the projections are accurate, Anthony would be the third Tar Heel drafted in the lottery in the last two drafts.

Despite missing 11 games due to injuries, Anthony averaged 18.5 points per game, which ranked second among ACC players, to go with 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

Considering these impressive numbers, the departure of Anthony gives UNC a big void to fill for the 2021 season.

The likely answer at point guard for North Carolina is Caleb Love, a 5-star recruit from St. Louis, which would make him the third first-year point guard in the last three seasons. Similar to both Coby White and Anthony, Love comes in as more of a scorer than as a traditional pass-first, Kendall Marshall-esque point guard. Love averaged 27 points per game during his senior season.

While guards Anthony Harris and Jeremiah Francis both shared minutes in the backcourt last season, health may be a concern for the rising sophomore guards with both players missing significant time due to injuries. If Harris and Francis do stay healthy, however, North Carolina will have a backcourt rotation with both talent and experience.

Love is a member of a very promising recruiting class for North Carolina. The 2020 recruiting class also includes 5-star bigs Walker Kessler and Day’Ron Sharpe, with guard R.J. Davis and wing Puff Johnson rounding out the class.

Head coach Roy Williams seems to have a solid rotation at the point guard position, but it will be interesting to see how the frontcourt will be organized.

Junior forward Garrison Brooks had a tremendous season in 2020, averaging 16.8 points per game and 8.5 rebounds while shooting better than 53 percent from the field. Armando Bacot, who started at center in his first year, said after UNC's ACC Tournament loss to Syracuse that he will return for his sophomore season. Bacot recorded 11 double-doubles during the season and led the team in blocked shots.

Williams will certainly have to decide how to utilize his returning bigs in conjuncture with Kessler and Sharpe. Kessler has a versatile offensive game that spaces out to the 3-point line, while Sharpe brings an abundance of athleticism to the frontcourt. 

Though there's plenty of depth at the big man position, figuring out the best fits rotation-wise will be Williams' primary challenge.

The wing position seems to be more open for the Tar Heels, with Leaky Black and Andrew Platek returning. The loss of Brandon Robinson and Christian Keeling will possibly give an opportunity for Davis and Johnson to get playing time alongside the slew of point guards and big men next season. Making perimeter shots will be a priority for the wing players, as North Carolina lacked a perimeter threat outside of Robinson last season. 

While there will be competition for playing time, that should prove to be a good problem to have for an injury-riddled team that struggled with depth last season.

@Jerem11ah

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com