North Carolina has officially added another important piece to its 2026-27 basketball roster.
UNC announced Monday that veteran guard Angelo Brizzi will join the Tar Heels as a graduate student for the upcoming season, officially confirming the addition of a player who should provide valuable experience and perimeter shooting to head coach Michael Malone’s first Carolina roster.
The 6-foot-3 Brizzi comes to Chapel Hill after the best statistical season of his college career. Playing for Buffalo in 2025-26, Brizzi started all 32 games and averaged a career-high 14.5 points, with that scoring average climbing to nearly 16 points per contest during Mid-American Conference play. He scored at least 20 points eight times, highlighted by a career-best 27-point performance against UMass.
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Perhaps most intriguing for North Carolina is Brizzi’s ability to provide another threat from beyond the three-point line.
Brizzi has made multiple three-pointers in 26 games during his college career, including a game last season in which he connected on eight triples against South Alabama. That type of shooting could prove valuable for a Tar Heel roster looking to create spacing around its collection of talented playmakers and frontcourt options.
Brizzi also brings something that can’t be manufactured: experience.
The Warrenton, Virginia, native has already played 105 college games, making 69 starts and scoring 878 career points. He has reached double figures 40 times during a college journey that has included stops at Villanova, Davidson, Longwood and Buffalo. Brizzi originally signed with Villanova and redshirted during the 2021-22 season, played nine games for the Wildcats the next season before transferring to Davidson at the semester break.
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Now, that well-traveled college career will culminate at North Carolina.
Brizzi’s role with the Tar Heels remains to be determined, but his profile makes plenty of sense for this roster. Carolina doesn’t necessarily need him to replicate the 14.5 points per game he averaged at Buffalo. Instead, Brizzi can potentially provide Malone with an experienced guard capable of handling the basketball, knocking down perimeter shots and giving UNC another dependable option in the backcourt.
His experience could be particularly valuable over the course of a long season. Brizzi has been through multiple programs, conferences and roles during his career, and he arrives in Chapel Hill having already spent a full season as a high-volume starter and scorer.
For a North Carolina team with significant talent but several new pieces to integrate, adding a player with more than 100 games of college experience provides another layer of stability.
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Brizzi’s commitment to Carolina had already given Tar Heel fans another piece of the roster puzzle. Monday’s announcement makes it clear: Angelo Brizzi is officially a Tar Heel, and his combination of experience and perimeter shooting gives UNC another intriguing weapon for the 2026-27 season.
