All Tar Heels

UNC Basketball May Enter Blueblood Battle for Elite Mid-Major Transfer

The UNC basketball offseason is kicking off into full swing with the staff on the lookout for transfer talent.

Cam Robertson

UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis
UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
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Now that the NCAA transfer portal has opened and hundreds of players are entering each and every day, teams need to be on top of everything when it comes to making additions heading into the next season. And UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis has not shied away from using the portal to bring in key pieces, with names like Brady Manek, Cormac Ryan, Harrison Ingram, and Jae’Lyn Withers being brought to Chapel Hill in just the last few seasons.

With key departures of Tar Heels like Ryan, Paxson Wojcik, and Armando Bacot, as well as the potential losses of Ingram, Withers, and ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis, Hubert Davis and the rest of the UNC staff have some holes to fill for next season.

It seems they’ve hit the ground running, with reports on Wednesday of the Tar Heels, alongside a trio of powerhouses in Kentucky, Tennessee, and archrival Duke, having contacted former Belmont guard Cade Tyson.

Tyson, a 6-foot-7 sharpshooter who has played two seasons with the Bruins, entered his name in the transfer portal over a week ago. After becoming the Missouri Valley Conference Rookie of the Year, he reached another level as a standout performer for Belmont in his sophomore year.

The 20-year-old Tyson averaged 16.2 points per game for Belmont while shooting an impressive 46.5 percent beyond the arc on nearly 180 attempts. He started all 31 games he appeared in this past season, while coming in at No. 2 nationally in 3-point percentage.

He currently ranks No. 18 in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports, and has ties to the state of North Carolina. He grew up in Monroe, less than three hours away from UNC’s campus in Chapel Hill.

Since entering his name in the portal, he heard from a long list of high-major schools, including Auburn, Indiana, Kansas, Miami, Notre Dame, Villanova, and Virginia, before being linked to the Tar Heels, Blue Devils, Wildcats, and Volunteers.

With UNC losing some of its top shooters from last season, getting a sharpshooter in the portal might just be one of the top priorities on Hubert Davis’ list.

It remains to be seen just how meaningful the interest is between Cade Tyson and UNC basketball, but he could be a much-needed piece for Davis and the Tar Heels next season.

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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