Several UNC men’s basketball players have been named to watch lists for various college basketball awards. Check back in here as the season goes on to see the updated list of who’s been nominated for what!
PF Pete Nance — Karl Malone Award
One of the newest additions to the Tar Heels, Northwestern graduate transfer Pete Nance started the exhibition win against Johnson C. Smith and scored 19 points on 8-13 shooting. The veteran knocked down a three-pointer in the game as well. Nance has drawn praise from teammates and coaches for his versatility on both offense and defense, and is on the watch list for the Karl Malone Award, which honors the top power forward in college basketball. The award has been given out since 2015, and no Tar Heel has ever won it.
SF Leaky Black — Julius Erving Award
Entering his fourth year as a starter for the Tar Heels, Leaky Black has established himself as a defensive force in head coach Hubert Davis’ lineup. While Black isn’t known for his offense (he scored just four points in the exhibition), he shot a career-high 33 percent on three-pointers last season (minimum 40 attempts). Now, Black is nominated for the Julius Erving Award, which honors the top small forward in college basketball. It has been given out since 2015, and no Tar Heel has ever won it.
G R.J. Davis — Naismith Award, Wooden Award
Though Davis is not on the watch list for the Jerry West Award, given to the nation’s top shooting guard, voters still believe he could take home some hardware. Davis, along with teammates Caleb Love and Armando Bacot, is on the watch lists for the Naismith and Wooden Awards, a pair of honors given to the National Player of the Year. Three Tar Heels have won the Naismith Award: Michael Jordan in 1984, Antawn Jamison in 1998 and Tyler Hansbrough in 2008. Four have won the Wooden Award: the aforementioned trio and Phil Ford in 1978.
C Armando Bacot — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, Naismith Award, Wooden Award
Among Armando Bacot’s numerous preseason accolades is the watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which honors the top center in college basketball. No Tar Heel has ever won the award, which has been given out since 2015. Bacot, a preseason first team All-American and the preseason ACC Player of the Year, shattered school records last season for rebounding and double-doubles (while tying the all-time Division 1 record for the latter). He is the only Tar Heel to ever secure 500 or more total rebounds in a season, grabbing 511 as a junior.
G Caleb Love — Bob Cousy Award, Naismith Award, Wooden Award
Caleb Love showed out in a big way in Carolina’s exhibition, leading all scorers with 20 points and dishing out eight assists (as a team, Johnson C. Smith only had four assists). Head coach Hubert Davis has challenged Love to lead the ACC in assists. To that end, Love has been named to the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which honors the top point guard in college basketball. The oldest of all the awards on this list, the Cousy Award has been given out since 2004, and three Tar Heels have won it: Raymond Felton in 2005, Ty Lawson in 2009 and Kendall Marshall in 2012.
All images via Todd Melet
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