North Carolina's 'big' move

In partnership with

Good morning! You made it to the weekend. Today’s Daily is written by Tristan Freeman. Follow him on X.com/Twitter @hoopsnut351.

We’ll get to the news after this message.

How 433 Investors Unlocked 400X Return Potential

Institutional investors back startups to unlock outsized returns. Regular investors have to wait. But not anymore. Thanks to regulatory updates, some companies are doing things differently.

Take Revolut. In 2016, 433 regular people invested an average of $2,730. Today? They got a 400X buyout offer from the company, as Revolut’s valuation increased 89,900% in the same timeframe.

No wonder 10K+ everyday people are taking the chance on Pacaso.

Founded by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso’s co-ownership tech reshapes the $1.3T vacation home market. They’ve earned $110M+ in gross profit to date, including 41% YoY growth in 2024 alone. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

The same institutional investors behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay backed Pacaso. And you can join them. But not for long. Pacaso’s investment opportunity ends September 18.

Invest While You Still Can

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

1. Heels ‘needed to be bigger’ for 2025-26

Hubert Davis has run the gamut in his four seasons as North Carolina’s coach. He’s guided the Heels to a national title game appearance, then became the only team to enter a season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll to miss the NCAA Tournament. He’s been ACC coach of the year and won the league’s regular-season title and claimed a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance. And last season, UNC snuck into the field.

Part of the issue last season was the Heels had just one rotation player taller than 6-8. So Davis approached the summer with a specific goal: To get bigger.

UNC did plenty of additions, starting with 7-foot Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar (9.4 ppg and 5.0 rpg). Jarin Stevenson is a former top-40 prospect and a 6-10 transfer forward from Alabama, while Ivan Matleković is a 7-foot international prospect who also provides frontcourt depth. Additionally, Caleb Wilson, a 6-10 freshman forward, is a 5-star prospect and a potential star on the roster.

Those big men aren’t locked into one spot, either. Wilson can play both the 4 and 5, while Stevenson played on the wing and down low at Alabama. Even on the perimeter, the Tar Heels can play at four guys 6-6 or taller, thanks to the additions of West Virginia transfer Jonathan Powell and Luka Bogavac, another key international newcomer.

The Heels also hope 6-10 sophomore center James Brown is ready for a bigger role. The former 4-star prospect played in just 18 games last season but could be in line for an increased role. He worked on his body this offseason and is set to be the biggest player on the roster, which could work to his benefit.

The concerns? That’s six transfers and four other newcomers, so they have to mesh. If there’s not enough perimeter shooting, defenses could collapse and negate much of that new size. And is Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans ready to run the show? Randolph Childress and Jeff Goodman discussed how it all will work.

If things work out, Davis and UNC will be back on track. If not, next spring could be interesting in Chapel Hill.

2. Illinois won’t have a star transfer for a while

Brad Underwood’s Balkan Ballers will be down one player for a bit.

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.