Michael Malone’s Tar Heels will not be ranked at the outset of the 2026-27 season. The AP Top 25 preseason poll was published Monday morning, and UNC was not included.
Florida reigns supreme at No. 1 in the poll, followed by No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 UConn and No. 5 Arizona. Elsewhere in the ACC, Virginia checks in at No. 9, Louisville at No. 11 and Miami at No. 14. UNC was not the highest vote-getter among unranked teams; the Tar Heels received 20 vote points, effectively putting them at No. 30 in the poll. For a full look at the poll, click here.
This is the first time Carolina has been unranked in the AP preseason poll since the 2005-06 season, which ended with the Tar Heels earning a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. UNC was ranked No. 25 to begin the 2025-26 season.
The Tar Heels have already given fans a sneak peek at what the team will look like this season. Carolina has played two preseason games so far, beating USC – which is ranked No. 21 – by 18 points in Greensboro earlier in the month and losing to Indiana – unranked – by 18 in Indianapolis Sunday evening. UNC will wrap up its preseason schedule when it hosts Charlotte at the Dean Smith Center Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Maggie Hobson
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