UNC Lands Ven-Allen Lubin; Was Ranked Among Top Big Men Left in CBB Transfer Portal

North Carolina landed an impact big man from the transfer portal Thursday.

Ven-Allen Lubin announced he is transferring from Vanderbilt to the Tar Heels:

ESPN's Jeff Borzello called him "one of the best big men left on the board," while 247Sports ranked him as the 17th-best power forward in this year's transfer portal.

Transferring is nothing new for Lubin, who started his collegiate career at Notre Dame before leaving for the Commodores after just one season. He was a role player for Notre Dame but became a go-to option for Vanderbilt while averaging 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.

He also shot 50 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep.

Lubin impressed down the stretch of the 2023-24 campaign and scored in double figures in 11 of his final 13 games. He had four double-doubles during that span, including when he posted 25 points and 11 rebounds in the regular-season finale win over Florida and 21 points and 10 rebounds in the SEC tournament loss to Arkansas.

As Borzello highlighted, North Carolina needed another player in its frontcourt.

Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram are on the way out, and the Tar Heels were unable to land transfer targets Oumar Ballo, Clifford Omoruyi and Jonas Aidoo. They needed depth outside of Jae'Lyn Withers and Jalen Washington as they pursue an ACC crown and deep tournament run.

Lubin should provide just that.