The NCAA transfer portal season isn’t technically over for college basketball, but things have started to wind down quite a bit. For Michael Malone and the Tar Heels, they are trying to put the finishing touches on their roster so that they can focus on preparing for the 2026-27 season. When looking at what they’ve done so far in the portal, though, ESPN seems to think that they’ve done a pretty good job.
ESPN ranked UNC 8th in the transfer portal rankings, which is just one spot ahead of Duke. The
Tar Heels managed to land Matt Able, Neoklis Avdalas, Terrence Brown, and Cade Bennerman from their former schools, which is one of the more impressive overall haul the Heels have accomplished.
Here is what ESPN had to say about Michael Malone’s incoming transfers:
”First-year head coach Michael Malone went overseas to secure frontcourt reinforcements, but procured his perimeter group in the portal, and clearly leaned into high-major experience — including with the ACC-proven Avdalas and Able. Avdalas has shown flashes of first-round potential, while Able seems poised to land in mock drafts after withdrawing this season. Brown is a big-time scorer who has averaged right around 20 points per game at two different programs (FDU before Utah).“
Landing two NBA-caliber players in the portal is a feat in and of itself, but Michael Malone is also bringing in international talents Sayon Keita and Alexandros Samodurov, both of whom could also hear their names called in the NBA Draft this time next year. Throw in another incoming freshman in Maximo Adams, and there is plenty of talent all over this roster, which is all Carolina fans can ask for during Malone’s first year as head coach. There’s still one spot left to fill on the roster, so we’ll see who the last piece will be hopefully sooner than later.
What do you think of where UNC landed in ESPN’s transfer portal rankings? Let us know in the comments below.
