# 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.
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.
Following the season, Williams announced he was retiring after 18 years as head coach of North Carolina and 33 years of coaching. Several days later, the school named assistant coach Hubert Davis as the team's new head coach.

## 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.

## 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. |
| 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 |
| Caleb Ellis | 25 | F | 6'5" | 190 | Graduate Student | Apex, North Carolina | Completed athletic eligibility |
| Justin Pierce | 32 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Graduate Student | 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 |
| Christian Keeling | 55 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Graduate Student | Augusta, Georgia | Completed athletic eligibility |

### 2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| 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 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Walker Kessler C | Newnan, GA | Woodward Academy (GA) | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Sep 22, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Caleb Love PG | St. Louis, MO | Christian Brothers College (MO) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 1, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| R. J. Davis PG | White Plains, NY | Archbishop Stepinac (NY) | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Oct 21, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Puff Johnson SF | Moon Township, PA | Hillcrest Prep (AZ) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Nov 5, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Kerwin Walton SG | Hopkins, MN | Hopkins (MN) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Apr 27, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| 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

College recruiting information (2021) :
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. |||||||

## 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 | 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 | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| December 12, 2020* 2:00 p.m., ACCRSN | No. 16 | NC Central | 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 | 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 | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | 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 | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | 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 | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Dean Smith Center Chapel Hill, NC |
| February 17, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Northeastern | 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 | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, MA |
| February 24, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Marquette | 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:

## 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.
Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | 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.