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

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's Basketball Rises to No. 16 in Latest AP Poll
After a home win against Notre Dame and a road win at then-No. 14 Virginia, UNC rose six spots in the latest AP Top 25 poll to No. 16 this week. UNC’s six-spot jump is the largest of any team in the poll. After dropping to No. 22 following road losses at unranked Stanford and […]
UNC Men's Basketball Moves Up to No. 18 in Latest AP Poll
After beginning the season with two convincing home wins, Carolina has moved up seven spots to No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, which was published Monday. The Tar Heels began the season ranked No. 25, their lowest preseason ranking in 20 years. UNC began the season with a 40-point win against Central […]
AP Poll: UNC Men's Basketball Stays at No. 3, Women Fall Out
Despite a mid-week loss at unranked Georgia Tech, the UNC men’s basketball held firm at No. 3 in the most recent AP Poll, which was released on Monday. The women’s team, meanwhile, fell from its No. 24 spot into the “Others Receiving Votes” category after two consecutive losses to No. 5 NC State and No. […]
AP Poll: UNC Men's Basketball Up to No. 3, Women Up to No. 20
Both the UNC men’s and women’s basketball teams rose in the latest editions of the AP Poll, which were released on Monday. Following wins against Louisville and Boston College – and a loss by former No. 3 Kansas – the men’s team rose one spot from No. 4 to No. 3. The women’s team earned […]
UNC Men's and Women's Basketball Rise in AP Polls Following Big Wins
The UNC men’s and women’s basketball teams each moved up in the latest editions of the AP Top 25 polls, which were released on Monday. Both teams earned ranked wins during the week. The men’s team rose one spot from No. 8 to No. 7 in the poll after wins at Pittsburgh and No. 16 […]
UNC Men's Basketball Moves Up to No. 9 in Newest AP Poll
Following an impressive week, the UNC men’s basketball team rose eight spots to No. 9 in the latest AP Poll, which was released on Monday afternoon. The Tar Heels defeated then-No. 10 Tennessee and Florida State in the Smith Center to move to 7-1 on the season. Carolina is the highest-ranked ACC team in the […]
UNC Men's Basketball Back Into AP Top 25 Poll
Following its 94-81 win at No. 4 Duke Saturday night, the UNC men’s basketball team rose back into the AP’s Top 25 on Monday, landing at No. 25. The team had been unranked since November. POLL ALERT: Kentucky into top five, Villanova, Tennessee into top 10 in AP Top 25; Gonzaga, Arizona, Baylor remain 1-2-3 […]
ESPN College GameDay to Visit UNC Before Feb. 7 Game vs. Duke
ESPN College GameDay, the network’s flagship college basketball studio show, will broadcast live from the Dean Smith Center the morning of Feb. 7 before the Tar Heels host rival Duke that evening. SEE YOU SOON 🗣️ @CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/al7eFPNPLi — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) January 31, 2026 The broadcast will begin at 10 a.m. on the Smith […]
Chansky's Notebook: Best of Both
UNC's Lee Roberts favors a compromise between Cameron Indoor Stadium and the Smith Center, and he is well schooled with what went wrong here.
UNC Men's Basketball at Georgia Tech (2026): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Time
UNC will travel down to Atlanta this weekend to take on Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels are looking to avenge an upset loss at the hands of the Yellow Jackets in their last visit to Atlanta during the 2023-24 season. If you aren’t making the trip with the team, here’s how you can follow along […]
›