All Tar Heels

UNC Basketball: Elite Center Now Planning Trip to Chapel Hill

UNC basketball may be one step closer to finally fulfilling its goal of landing a transfer big man. 

Cam Robertson

UNC basketball transfer target Clifford Omoruyi
UNC basketball transfer target Clifford Omoruyi / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
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It’s no secret that head coach Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program have set out to reel in a top transfer to play in the post next season. After being linked to names such as Oumar Ballo, Aaron Bradshaw, Danny Wolf, and Jonas Aidoo, it was clear Davis and the Tar Heel crew had an offseason goal.

RELATED: Tar Heel Coaches Make Bold Move on Transfer Trail

But while the Tar Heels have struck out on many of those transfer targets, they may be gaining the inside track on landing one of the best remaining big men in the transfer portal.

On Friday, 247Sports reported that the Tar Heels had secured a visit with Rutgers transfer big Clifford Omoruyi, with the visit tentatively scheduled for the beginning of May.

UNC has been linked to Omoruyi in recent weeks and appeared in his top 12. However, it had appeared that the Tar Heels may have fallen behind in the race after the top-shelf transfer scheduled visits with Alabama and Kansas State.

That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore, with Omoruyi now set to add UNC to that list.

The 6-foot-11, 240-pound senior played four seasons at Rutgers, starting 101 of the 124 games he played with the Scarlet Knights. Across 32 games as a senior, Omoruyi averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks while earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team for the second year in a row.

He currently ranks No. 8 overall among the nation's transfer, according to the 247Sports portal rankings, and would fill a massive hole left in Chapel Hill by the departure of five-year starting center Armando Bacot.

With the school’s all-time leading rebounder having exhausted eligibility, Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball staff have been searching for a physical force inside to pair with Jalen Washington down low.

Clifford Omoruyi’s ability to rebound and block shots at a high level would be a perfect fit in Chapel Hill to complement one of the best returning rosters in the country.

Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI for more UNC basketball news.

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Cam Robertson
CAM ROBERTSON

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