A recent report from Inside Carolina set off alarm bells among college basketball fans when it claimed that North Carolina had allocated an astonishing $14 million to its basketball program.
Even considering the NCAA’s new reality — full of massive NIL contracts, transfer portal decisions, and the upcoming result of the House vs. NCAA lawsuit — this sum far exceeds what many expected.
Basketball Insider Says 2025 is the “Ultimate ‘No Excuse’ Year for Hubert Davis”
In the Inside Carolina reports, writer Greg Barnes explained that multiple sources have confirmed that the North Carolina Tar Heels have spent over $14 million in NIL deals for next basketball season.
College basketball analyst Tim Donnelly was surprised by the report. The host of “The Drive” on 99.9 The Fan, he stated that Davis is at a crucial moment in his leadership of the Tar Heels.
“This is the ultimate ‘no excuse’ year for Hubert Davis,” Donnelly explained. “This is the ultimate no-excuse year for the brain trust that is running UNC basketball right now.”
He continued, “With great money comes great responsibility,” he added. “If you give a coach $14 million to put together a roster and the roster is not stellar at the end of the year, you look at that coach and you go, ‘I don’t know if I’m ready to give you $14 million again.’ Right?”
Donnelly shared his vision for the future of Davis and his team after receiving $14 million.
“If you give a coach $14 million and they come back the next year and say, ‘Hey, I need another 14, $15 million,’ ‘Hey, what’d you spend the last 14 on?’”
“You better have a trophy, you better have something worth, you better have a long run into the NCAA tournament, cuz if not, I’m not giving you more money… You better win with $14 million, is what I’m saying, you better win with $14 million.”
According to the report, the $14 million sum is nearly triple what UNC Basketball spent last season.
The report also states that the expenditure includes adding six new players, including Montenegrin guard Luka Bogavac, guards Kyan Evans and Jonathan Powell, and center Henri Veesaar.
While massive NIL deals aren’t a new phenomenon in the world of college sports, this investment into Carolina basketball is a big move, considering they are also seemingly going “all in” on Bill Belichick and the football team.
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