Ven-Allen Lubin Just Pulled the Ultimate Heel Turn — Straight Into Raleigh
From promising post presence to public enemy No. 1 in Chapel Hill, Lubin’s transfer to NC State is as bold as it is controversial.
When Ven-Allen Lubin announced he was entering the transfer portal this offseason, he insisted it was “just a precaution” amid the uncertainty surrounding the NCAA’s looming revenue-sharing settlement. He wasn’t really leaving, he told us. He was just checking the temperature.
Well, the temperature has changed and now it’s boiling in Chapel Hill.
Lubin has officially committed to NC State, wrapping up his collegiate career in Raleigh, just 30 minutes down the road from the program he started for last season. And in doing so, he’s lit a match that may burn his bridges with the Tar Heel faithful forever.
The Fallout of a Flip
The reaction from UNC fans was swift and fierce and honestly, can you blame them?
Lubin didn’t just leave North Carolina. He took his talents to their most hated in-state rival, one that hasn’t gone head-to-head with UNC in Chapel Hill in over a century without sparking chaos. With this move, he’s ensured the rivalry fire stays lit even without a Dean Dome visit this season.
Lubin’s exit feels especially sharp when you consider the context. After transferring in from Vanderbilt (his second stop after Notre Dame), Lubin had arguably his best season yet in a Carolina uniform. Despite being a bit undersized at center, he emerged as a reliable and physical force for a shorthanded Tar Heel frontcourt.
He closed the 2024–25 campaign with 11 straight double-digit scoring performances, including four double-doubles. He was, at times, the glue holding the Tar Heels’ interior game together. And with UNC looking to build a more imposing frontcourt through the portal and incoming recruits, Lubin was going to have help just not the financial kind he may have been after.
The NIL Drama
Lubin reportedly agreed to financial terms to return for his senior season. But once names and dollar amounts started flying around from UNC’s newer portal additions, things got shaky. Sources suggest Lubin grew frustrated seeing what others were set to earn, and the Tar Heels’ collective led by agent Jim Tanner wasn’t interested in playing bidding war games.
Was it pride? Was it greed? Was it fear of competition?
Whatever the case, Lubin walked away from Chapel Hill and into a wolfpack den that will welcome him like a hero. Meanwhile, Tar Heel fans feel blindsided, betrayed, and yes, disrespected.
From Tar Heel to Turncoat?
Make no mistake: Ven-Allen Lubin will go down in UNC lore, just not the way anyone expected.
Some fans are already joking that he’s the Benedict Arnold of Tar Heel basketball and while that might be a stretch, it’s hard to deny the sting of seeing a player go from helping you down the stretch… to potentially helping beat you in March.
If NC State and UNC meet in the ACC Tournament or (gulp) the NCAA Tournament, there will be no shortage of storylines.
As for the regular season? Lubin got lucky. Thanks to a fluke in the ACC schedule rotation, NC State won’t travel to Chapel Hill this year for the first time in over a century. That’s probably for the best because if Lubin had to walk into the Dean Dome wearing red and white, the boos might shake the rafters.
Final Thoughts
Lubin made a business decision. That’s college basketball in 2025. But don’t expect fans to forgive and forget so easily. He didn’t just leave a team — he crossed enemy lines.
And in doing so, Ven-Allen Lubin has become the face of one of the most jaw-dropping transfers of the offseason.
In Chapel Hill, his name may never be cheered again.
In Raleigh? He just might become a legend if he can handle the weight of wearing both sides of the rivalry.
Coming Soon: When UNC and NC State finally clash, all eyes will be on No. 8 in red. And if he delivers… buckle up.
Leave a Reply