Two takeaways for UNC men's basketball from ACC Tipoff

CHARLOTTE — Hubert Davis wants this year's team to find its voice and define its identity. 

The head coach knows it won't be possible to completely replicate the production of last year's squad. He can't replace Armando Bacot, the all-time leader in rebounds at UNC and someone Davis described as "one of one." He can't get another Harrison Ingram, who led the ACC in rebounding in conference play, averaging 10.9 a game. And he also can't replace Cormac Ryan, who scored in double figures 21 times last season.

The off-court characters can't be duplicated, either.

"Last year we had a lot of personalities," graduate guard RJ Davis said. "We had Harrison who was a goofball, Cormac you never know with him and Armando [was] a troll, so it was a lot of personalities that was off the court but it flowed on the court. I think this year everyone's still finding their voice."

North Carolina's new lineup is quieter. The players are less experienced. But the team is working on discovering its voice and tweaking game plans to complement who they are. 

"I believe good teams have a voice," Hubert Davis said. "They're loud, and not just in terms of communication on defense, but in terms of leadership on and off the court." 

As North Carolina is working to define its identity for the upcoming season, here are two takeaways from UNC's trip to ACC Tipoff on Thursday: 

Rebounders in a revamped roster

UNC returned five scholarship players from last year's roster. Only two — Davis and sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau — have consistent experience in North Carolina's starting lineup.  

In the absence of a seasoned big like Bacot or a consistent rebounder like Ingram, the Tar Heels have a sizable gap to fill around the glass. Last year's team led the ACC in rebounding, averaging 41 per game. 

According to junior guard Seth Trimble, junior forward Jalen Washington has been a "beast" on the boards. Alongside Washington, graduate forward Ty Claude, a transfer from Georgia Tech, has also impressed in the last few months. Washington and Claude are both credited with grabbing the most rebounds in practice.

However, for Trimble, the most surprising addition to the rebounding unit was junior guard Cade Tyson, who transferred from Belmont. 

"I did not think Cade could be somebody who could out-rebound some of the more athletic guys on our team," Trimble said.  

Additionally, Hubert Davis said Tyson's versatile scoring ability will allow the coaching staff to place him in different spots. Tyson averaged 15 points a game in his time with the Bruins, shooting 44.6 percent from three and 49.2 percent from the floor.

Standing at six foot seven, the junior guard has the ability to rebound on both ends, handle the ball and facilitate, according to the head coach. 

"You can see many different lineups with the groups that we have," Davis said. "We could go big, we could go small. Those are things that we'll look at and continue to develop and use throughout the entire season." 

Playing with pace

During five-on-five drills in practice, if one team doesn't bring the ball up the court in three seconds, Hubert Davis takes it away. And he'll give it to the other team until he's satisfied with the pace.

That's how fast he wants the Tar Heels to play this season.

Without an established post presence in a smaller lineup, UNC is looking to open up space on the floor and get out in transition, minimizing turnovers as much as possible. 

"We're not driving reckless," Trimble said. "We're running, we're running fast, but we're not running out of control."

RJ Davis called this year's squad the most athletic team he's ever played with at UNC. This quick style of play complements the strengths of the guard-heavy roster. 

"I think our strength this year is being able to play up tempo, use our athletic abilities to get up and down and finish at the rim," he said. 

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