College basketball season is right around the corner. The preseason AP Top 25 poll was released Monday, featuring the Tar Heels ranked at No. 1. It’s Carolina’s first preseason No. 1 ranking since the beginning of the 2015-16 season and tenth all-time, which is the most of any program.

The poll is the 111th overall to feature Carolina at No. 1, which is the fourth-highest mark all-time. In the 75-year history of the AP Poll, the Tar Heels have been ranked at least once in 66 of those years, and in the Top 10 in 58 of those years.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for our team’s potential,” head coach Hubert Davis said. “But the only way for us to reach any of our dreams and goals will be to improve each and every day by our commitment to preparing, practicing and playing to the best of our ability.”

Carolina enters the 2022-23 season as a perceived national championship contender. The Tar Heels return four starters from last season’s national runner-up team and feature several talented newcomers: freshmen Jalen Washington, Seth Trimble, Tyler Nickel and Will Shaver, as well as Northwestern transfer Pete Nance. Carolina received 47 of 62 first-place votes

Joining the Tar Heels in the Top 25 are fellow ACC members Duke at No. 7 and Virginia at No. 18. Rounding out the Top 5 with UNC are No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 3 Houston, No. 4 Kentucky and Baylor and reigning national champion Kansas tied at No. 5. For a full look at the poll, click here.

Carolina will open its season with an exhibition against Johnson C. Smith in Chapel Hill on October 28 at 7:30 p.m. The first official game will be against UNC-Wilmington in the Smith Center on November 7 at 9 p.m.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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