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
‹
Greek Prospect Alexandros Samodurov Commits to UNC Men's Basketball
Another international prospect is making his way to Chapel Hill. Alexandros Samodurov, who has played professionally in Greece since 2022, announced his commitment to head coach Michael Malone and UNC Saturday. Samodurov, a 6-foot-11 forward, has played his entire professional career with the Greek club Panathinaikos. The club has seen sustained success during his time […]
ACC Opponents Set for 2026-27 UNC Men's Basketball Season
The UNC men’s basketball program revealed its ACC opponents for the 2026-27 season. It will be the second since the league shifted from a 20-game schedule to an 18-game schedule. Like in 2025-26, the Tar Heels will play two opponents twice, 14 opponents once and not play one other league school at all during the […]
Matt Able Withdraws From NBA Draft, Will Play for UNC Men's Basketball Next Season
Matt Able, who committed to UNC out of the transfer portal in April after playing his freshman season at NC State but also went through the NBA Draft Combine process, withdrew his name from the draft Monday. Able has already signed with the Tar Heels, meaning he is locked in to playing for the program […]
Report: UNC Men's Basketball Hiring Former Tar Heel Brandon Robinson to Staff
According to a report from Inside Carolina, former UNC men’s basketball player Brandon Robinson is set to join head coach Michael Malone’s staff in Chapel Hill for the upcoming season. Robinson played four years in Chapel Hill and was a freshman on UNC’s 2016-17 national championship team. He played in 130 total games during his […]
Former LSU Signee Kevin Thomas Commits to UNC Men's Basketball
Kevin Thomas, a four-star recruit who initially signed with LSU but decommitted in March, has now committed to head coach Michael Malone and UNC. View this post on Instagram Thomas, a 6-foot-6 wing from Fort Lauderdale, FL, committed to and signed with LSU last fall. But following the Tigers’ firing of head coach Matt McMahon, […]
Freshmen, Transfers and More: Every Newcomer Joining UNC Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 Season
As Michael Malone embarks on his first season as the head coach of the UNC men’s basketball program, he’s gotten busy securing the additions of several newcomers to the program. Malone and his staff have mined from traditional high school recruiting and the transfer portal to fill out Carolina’s roster, and that work is continuing […]
Report: UNC Men's Basketball Hiring Bryan Tibaldi as Assistant Coach
According to a report from Inside Carolina, Bryan Tibaldi, who spent the 2025-26 season as an assistant coach at Providence, will join head coach Michael Malone’s UNC staff in the same position. Prior to arriving at Providence, Tibaldi had spent several years in the Cleveland Cavaliers organization in the NBA. Cleveland initially hired Tibaldi as […]
Report: Former Tar Heel Deon Thompson to Join UNC Men's Basketball Coaching Staff
According to a report from Inside Carolina Tuesday morning, former player Deon Thompson is set to join UNC men’s basketball head coach Michael Malone’s staff in Chapel Hill. Thompson was a four-year standout for the Tar Heels, appearing in 152 games, starting 113 and helping UNC win the 2009 national championship. Playing alongside Tyler Hansbrough […]
Multiple UNC Teams Post Perfect Academic Progress Rates, New Report Says
Several UNC sports programs posted perfect single-year and multi-year academic progress rates for the 2024-25 academic year, according to the NCAA’s latest report. Academic progress rate (APR) is used to track performance of scholarship students who compete on varsity teams, and the score measures eligibility and retention each semester. A perfect score is 1000, and […]
Chansky's Notebook: Draft Dodgers?
Bill Belichick and Michael Malone have found themselves in the same undesirable dilemma: neither has any draft picks.
›