With graduations and outgoing transfers, the UNC men’s basketball team needs to reshape its backcourt for the 2026-27 season.
North Carolina received some good news earlier Saturday, with freshman guard Isaiah Denis withdrawing himself from the transfer portal. The Tar Heels are also awaiting decisions from a few key targets, most notably Terrence Brown and Juke Harris.
On Saturday, UNC also lost one of its initial 2025-26 starters to a Big 10 team, as point guard Kyan Evans committed to Minnesota. With Derek Dixon committing to Arizona earlier in April, Evans had a strong chance for increased minutes next season. Now, Evans will instead play for his former head coach at Colorado State.
Evans came to Chapel Hill with plenty of promise, helping anchor the Rams’ 2025, First Round NCAA Tournament upset of Memphis. Averaging 10.6 points, 3.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds during that sophomore campaign, Evans proved himself as a do-it-all point guard.
Evans began his North Carolina career with promise, thanks to three double-digit point totals in his first six starts. Dixon began to emerge during non-conference play, most notably in a road upset of Kentucky, which started cutting into Evans’ playing time.
Heading into his senior campaign, Evans is tasked with leading Minnesota to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. With Denis withdrawing from the portal, Evans likely had a tough path to starting minutes next season in Chapel Hill. Hopefully for Evans, he can re-discover his mojo with the Golden Gophers. Will the Tar Heels land another guard in the portal?
