Carolina is ranked No. 25 in the preseason edition of the AP Top 25 poll, which was released Monday. The preseason ranking is UNC’s lowest since being unranked to begin the 2005-06 season.

The Tar Heels bring in a host of new players this season after losing all five year-end starters from last season’s team. Senior guard Seth Trimble and sophomore forward James Brown are the only scholarship players to return from last season, though redshirt sophomore Zayden High is back on the team after sitting out the 2024-25 season.

From the transfer portal, UNC has added Jonathan Powell from West Virginia, Jaydon Young from Virginia Tech, Henri Veesaar from Arizona, Jarin Stevenson from Alabama, Kyan Evans from Colorado State and Ivan Matlekovic from High Point. That group is joined by three incoming freshmen: wing Derek Dixon, guard Isaiah Denis and forward Caleb Wilson. In addition, UNC added the services of Montenegrin national Luka Bogavac, who played professionally in Europe and will be classified as a junior on the Carolina roster.

Head coach Hubert Davis is entering his fifth season in charge of the program. This season will also be the first for general manager Jim Tanner, a UNC alumnus and former Morehead-Cain scholar who joined the program earlier this year to help handle recruiting negotiations with players and their agents.

Also representing the ACC are No. 6 Duke and No. 11 Louisville. For a full look at the AP Top 25 poll, click here.

In addition, Carolina was picked third in the preseason ACC poll, and Wilson was named preseason second team All-ACC. To look at the preseason ACC poll and preseason All-ACC teams, click here.

UNC will play two preseason exhibitions before beginning the regular season. The first of those two exhibitions will come against No. 8 BYU in Salt Lake City. The game is scheduled for Friday, October 24 at 9 p.m. Eastern time and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward

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 newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Déjà Blue
For the second straight year, a Duke-UNC game served as an omen for the end of the Blue Devils’ season in the NCAA Tournament.
A Brief History of UNC Men's Basketball Head Coaching Searches
As we near the one-week mark of the UNC men’s basketball head coaching vacancy, rumors continue to swirl about the Tar Heels’ potential targets. If leading candidates are any indication, the next head coach will not come from the “Carolina Family,” breaking a streak that began with Dean Smith. Since Smith, each UNC head coach […]
Chansky's Notebook: Tricky Timetable
Two of the prime candidates for UNC's head coaching job will be competing against each other in the Final Four Saturday night.
UNC's Caleb Wilson Declares for 2026 NBA Draft
UNC star freshman Caleb Wilson will forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2026 NBA Draft, he announced on social media Friday night. Wilson’s announcement comes less than a week after the university dismissed Hubert Davis as the head coach of the men’s basketball program. View this post on Instagram Wilson finished his freshman […]
Lloyd, May or Donovan? Pros and Cons of 3 Candidates for the UNC Men's Basketball Head Coaching Job
As UNC continues to search for its next men’s basketball head coach, three names which have been floated as prime candidates for the job are Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd, Michigan head coach Dusty May and Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan. All three men have had ringing success on the college stage, but there […]
Chansky's Notebook: The Pool
Written by MICHAEL KOH Bubba Cunningham and UNC are confident they’ll have their pick of the litter for a new men’s basketball coach. Cunningham and incoming athletic director Steve Newmark appeared on a special edition of the “Carolina Insider Podcast” earlier this week, and both detailed the decision making which led to Hubert Davis’ exit. […]
The Best and Worst UNC Men's Basketball Games in the Hubert Davis Era
UNC head coach Hubert Davis’ time in Chapel Hill is officially over after five seasons, with the university announcing the men’s basketball program’s change of leadership on Tuesday. Davis’ tenure was defined by its high highs and low lows, and ultimately that inconsistency led to his dismissal. Here are some of the best wins and […]
Chansky's Notebook: You're a Good Man, Hubert Davis
The ugliness and awkwardness of Hubert Davis’ exit from the UNC men's basketball program should not overshadow the man he is.
UNC Parts Ways with Men's Basketball Head Coach Hubert Davis After 5 Seasons
UNC men’s basketball head coach Hubert Davis will not return after five seasons in charge, the program announced Tuesday night. Carolina Athletics shared a release at 9 p.m. with the announcement, saying it was parting ways with Davis after several days of discussions and review of his time leading the program. “We appreciate all that […]
Chansky's Notebook: In Others' Hands
Since his first year as UNC head coach, Hubert Davis has failed to meet the program’s lofty standards over the past four seasons.
›