UNC women’s basketball is starting off the upcoming season among the best in the country, as it placed No. 15 in the preseason Associated Press poll released on Wednesday.

The poll marks Carolina’s third consecutive preseason ranking under head coach Courtney Banghart, who is entering her sixth season leading the program. The ranking also marks the highest ranking in an AP Poll since Carolina reached No. 14 in the country on Feb. 6, 2023.

UNC is one of six Atlantic Coast Conference teams to place in the preseason rankings, which is tied for the most of any conference with the Big 12. Notre Dame is the highest-ranked conference foe at No. 6, followed by No. 9 N.C. State, No. 11 Duke, No. 17 Louisville, and No. 19 Florida State. UNC is slated to play each of those teams in its conference schedule, facing Notre Dame, N.C. State, Duke and Florida State at home — while taking on Louisville on the road and traveling to Duke for a rematch.

Carolina is also scheduled to face the preseason No. 2 team in the country, UConn. The programs are set to face off on Nov. 15 in the Greensboro Coliseum. Two other preseason top 25 teams, Baylor and Indiana, are among the Battle 4 Atlantis showcase that UNC will participate in come November.

The Tar Heels finished the 2023-24 season with a 20-13 record, falling in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year and ending seventh in the ACC. While the offseason included the departure of six players via the transfer portal, Banghart and the program are looking to improve with their own additions and several players returning from injuries that stunted last season’s growth.

The regular season begins for Carolina on Monday, Nov. 4, as they host Charleston Southern at 11 a.m. The full schedule can be found on UNC Athletics’ website.

The rest of the preseason top ten is rounded out with South Carolina taking the No. 1 spot, then Southern Cal at No. 3, Texas at No. 4, UCLA at No. 5, LSU at No. 7, Iowa State at No. 8, and Oklahoma at No. 10. For the full 2024-25 preseason Associated Press poll, click here.

 

Featured photo via UNC women’s basketball on X.

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