Cole Cloer, a lifelong Tar Heel enthusiast, became the first UNC basketball offer recipient on the 2026 recruiting trail last May. And in early January, the Caldwell Academy (N.C.) forward listed Hubert Davis and his staff among his most active suitors.

Hubert Davis envisioned in Chapel Hill as North Carolina basketball has failed to meet expectations. The Tar Heels have just one quad 1 win and have let a number of opportunities slip through their fingers.

The second of two games scheduled annually between Duke and North Carolina will be played later Saturday inside the Dean Smith Center. It should be a fun scene. But the juice that used to accompany the matchup is lacking in part because,