Hubert Davis’ Mission of Gelling 2025-2026 Tar Heels

Hubert Davis' roster for the 2025-2026 year has tons of new faces, featuring players with contrasting backgrounds. And on the basketball court, the successful programs at the collegiate level, at least, tend to have chemistry that stretches from off the court to on the hardwood floor.

UNC basketball | Matt Giles-North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

As seen in the past, UNC's last championship-winning team, the 2016-2017 season, had a group of players that had prior experience with each other: Joel Berry, Theo Pinson, Justin Jackson, Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks, plus others from the season prior.

But with this roster, which includes one international player, a five-star freshman coming out of high school and a bunch of transfers — how will this play to UNC's favor?

UNC — North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis at the 2025 ACC Tipoff | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

"Yeah, you know, you're right," said Davis when asked about how he keeps a team together despite change. "There's 11 new guys, and one of the things that is I think huge is college support the same as when I was in school. When the season was over you weren't allowed to have those opportunities with your coach until October 15th, and that's absolutely a different case now."

"The 11 new guys, plus returners, like Seth, we've been on the floor for eight months, during the summer, individual workouts, team practices, team getaways, functions. We spent a ton of time with each other on and off the court."

UNC — North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis and senior Seth Trimble at the 2025 ACC Tipoff | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

"I always tell the guys that in order to play for me you have to know me and I have to know you, and the only way that we get to know each other is spend a lot of time together."

"I'm thankful that we've had that time in the summer and in the fall heading into the season where we have a clear understanding of who we are on and off the court that allows us to be the best that we can be on the court."

Davis, going into his fifth season making decisions to lead UNC, embraces the opportunities to get to understand his players, beyond their skill set on the hardwood floor. North Carolina has plenty of talent to go around, and minutes will be a stiff competition after the starting lineup, but the ability for the team to have chemistry will be an underlying x-factor.

The Pressure To Do Well for Hubert Davis

The Tar Heels have found success during Davis's time as the head coach, but this season approaching has expectations for UNC to get over the hump and find its way near what it was able to accomplish at the end of the 2021-2022 year: a national championship appearance.

The "Iron Five" of RJ Davis, Caleb Love, Leaky Black, Brady Manek and Armando Bacot played their best basketball at the right time — starting with a win over the Duke Blue Devils in Coach K's last home game ever.

The highs have been toward the moon, but the lows have hit bedrock — missing the field completely at the end of the 2022-2023 campaign — not even Pete Nance's lemon Oreos were enough to help the Tar Heels.

UNC — Senior Seth Trimble and junior Henri Veesaar at the 2025 ACC Tipoff | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

UNC has a few week until the season officially begins and its chemistry will be shown on the court — it will either be good or bad, no in between.