Mar 20, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis during practice at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

How Does the 2025-2026 Backcourt Compare to Recent Years?

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Jeremiah Artacho | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The UNC men's basketball team will feature a backcourt of Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac (assuming all goes well with the NCAA clearance), Seth Trimble, Jonathan Powell, Jaydon Young, Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis. Head Coach Hubert Davis will have a mixture of a defensive guard (Trimble), a scoring guard (Evans), shooters (Powell and Dixon), along with Young and Denis who can will be solid pieces within the rotation.

Although when comparing this group of guards to recent years, how does it stand against them? As of last season, Elliot Cadeau (now at Michigan), RJ Davis (now a part of the Los Angeles Lakers organization), Ian Jackson (St. Johns), plus Drake Powell (Brooklyn Nets). But Powell was often seen at the forward position due to the lack of interior presence on the roster, so his position fluctuated heavily depending on the matchups and whoever UNC was facing.

The 2023-2024 season, besides Cadeau and Davis, has the sharpshooter Cormac Ryan, who showed out in his game against Duke inside Cameron Indoor Stadium and was a huge presence in the locker room as one of the voices on the team, besides Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram. Then, there was Paxson Wojcik, who did well in his role when called upon by Coach Davis.

Now, back to the question, is the 2025-2026 backcourt better than those last two campaigns? There is a good argument there, and the experience of Trimble (about to be four years in college) and Bogavac (coming from playing in the pros in Europe), Powell will be a sophomore, while Young and Evans, and then there are the two freshmen.

What Does This Backcourt Need To Do To Be Successful?

In order for this backcourt to be successful, it has to be cohesive and stay on top of each other's varying play styles. Which is why it will be important for them to form the chemistry necessary to perform well on the parquet. Coach Davis and his staff will find the right spots to be each player, but turnovers will be crucial, as it has been one of UNC's downfalls as of late — ball security will need to be intact, especially against the high-end teams on the schedule.

The Tar Heels will open with Central Arkansas, but then face Kansas in a rematch of the 2022 national championship as part of the home-and-home deal the two schools have. Then, the guards will be tested early and will have the chance to get a notable win on the resume, and the backcourt will have to be firing on all cylinders against Bill Self's squad.

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This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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