15. Pete Nance | 6-10 stretch-big | North Carolina
I’m a huge fan of Nance and think he was an
incredibly underrated addition for North Carolina in the portal. In any other league outside of the Big Ten with its
seven future or current NBA players last season, he would have made the all-conference team after averaging 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He’s a versatile offensive weapon who shot nearly 50 percent from the field, 45 percent from 3 and over 76 percent from the line, and he’ll easily replace what Brady Manek brought to the Tar Heels last season as a grad transfer from Oklahoma. I actually think he’s also a better defender than Manek, which means I think North Carolina actually upgraded on this spot over the offseason. Nance is a terrific
weak-side rim protector, and he does a good enough job of moving his feet (although he’s not quite his brother in terms of mobility). He’ll pair well with Armando Bacot as an inside-out frontcourt duo.
So many elite big men returned to college hoops that it made life difficult for Sam Vecenie.
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