UNC basketball excited about new season. Tar Heels say they are ‘flushing’ the last one

North Carolina’s R.J. Davis didn’t wait for the question to end before breaking in.

“Last year was last year,” the senior guard said. “We can’t talk anymore about last year and how that was for us. We have a new team.

“The main thing for us this past postseason was to work in silence. I don’t think anyone heard too much or thought too much about us. We just wanted to go under the radar a bit and then let our game do the talking. I know I want to finish my senior season by going out with a bang.”

That was said at the recent ACC Tipoff in Charlotte. It came after another question about the Tar Heels being picked No. 1 in preseason a year ago and then ending the season unranked and watching – and not playing in – the 2023 NCAA Tournament, quite a comedown for the program.

The Tar Heels have been ranked a reasonable 19th in the AP poll for this season, which UNC begins Monday with a game against Radford at the Smith Center.

This Carolina team is different, with seven new faces. The vibe is different

“This year we’re just hungry,” graduate center Armando Bacot said Friday. “Last year, I mean, we thought we were that good but we weren’t that good. That’s all that happened.

“It’s been great having so many new guys because we’ve kind of flushed last season. It’s been great and refreshing. We’re a team that’s been playing hard and listening to the coaches, and I’m excited to see if we can carry that on to the first game of the season.”

UNC’s Hubert Davis talked at the ACC Tipoff about the anticipation of taking this remade team, filled with its newcomers, into his third season as head coach. Davis was not available to the media Friday as he deals with the death this week of his uncle, Walter Davis, the former UNC and NBA star.

Walter Davis, 69, died in Charlotte while visiting family, the university said Thursday.

“Coach Davis talks about him a lot,” Bacot said. “I know it’s tough for him, and the whole UNC family, with what happened.

“I always used to say that’s why he wanted to come to UNC. I guess without Walker Davis, we wouldn’t have Coach Davis here at UNC, him wanting to take on the challenge of coming when Coach (Dean) Smith said he would never play here. His uncle inspired him to push through and fight through.”

Focusing again on this year’s team, and sounding like a coach, Bacot said it should be better-rounded offensively, with better shooters surrounding him. UNC was awful from the perimeter in too many games last season in finishing 20-13, but have added proven 3-point threats such as Cormac Ryan and Paxson Wojcik through the NCAA portal.

Ryan and Wojcik both are graduates, Ryan playing 116 games in four college seasons -- three at Notre Dame, one at Stanford -- and Wojcik 99 games in four seasons at Brown.

“They’re coming from situations they didn’t like and want to win, and obviously everyone who was here last year wants to win,” said Bacot, who was named to the AP preseason All-America team. “Some of the older guys have been through it all and it’s been great having them.”

Davis and freshman guard Elliot Cadeau can hit from 3. Harrison Ingram, a transfer from Stanford, can make the 3. Can UNC make a big jump in 3-point percentage after being last in the ACC last season (31.2%)?

“You never know. Once the lights come on, we’ll see,” Bacot said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who hit shots at a high level. That’s encouraging.”

Ryan, Wojcik and Ingram were in UNC’s starting lineup for its exhibition game, a 117-53 win over St. Augustine’s., joining Bacot and Davis. Cadeau, a five-star recruit who reclassified to play this season, has shared the backcourt at times in practices with Davis, the senior said.

Wojcik, a 6-5 guard, is the son of former UNC assistant coach Doug Wojcik. He said what quickly struck him about his new team was everyone being “uber competitive.”

In defensive drills? Shooting drills, scrimmages?

“Everything,” Wojcik said Friday.

And close, Wojcik said. It’s a tight group, he said.

Will all that translate into a big season for the Tar Heels?

As Bacot said, the lights come on Monday.

North Carolina vs Radford

When: Monday, 7 p.m.

Where: Smith Center, Chapel Hill.

TV: ACC Network.

Of note: The Highlanders were 21-15 last season, losing a three-point game at Notre Dame, and played in the College Basketball Invitational.