After its best season in seven years, the UNC women’s basketball team is understandably drawing some preseason hype. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 12 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll released Tuesday. It’s the team’s first preseason ranking since 2016, and the first under fourth-year head coach Courtney Banghart.

The ranking is also the team’s highest at any point since January of 2015, when the Tar Heels reached No. 8, and the highest preseason ranking since charting at No. 5 in 2010. Carolina peaked at No. 16 in the AP Poll last season.

Joining UNC in the poll are several ACC foes: Louisville at No. 7, Notre Dame at No. 9, NC State at No. 10 and Virginia Tech at No. 13. Carolina also has non-conference games scheduled at No. 11 Indiana, against No. 25 Michigan in the Jumpman Invitational and against No. 20 Oregon in the Phil Knight Invitational. Depending on how the Tar Heels do in the PKI, they could also potentially face No. 8 Iowa State in the second game of the event. In the ACC, the Tar Heels play the Wolfpack and the Hokies twice, will host Notre Dame and will visit Louisville. For a full look at the poll, click here.

The Tar Heels return four starters from last year’s team, which finished 25-7 overall, 13-5 in ACC play and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Four starters return from that team, including junior guard Deja Kelly, who was named to the watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Award on Monday. The award honors the top point guard in women’s college basketball.

Carolina also brings in four-star freshman guard Paulina Paris and will welcome redshirt senior guard Ariel Young and redshirt freshman wing Teonni Key back from injuries which kept them out all of last year. Key was rated as the No. 9 overall player in her class and a five-star prospect before she tore her ACL in a preseason scrimmage last fall. Redshirt freshman guard Kayla McPherson is also working her way back from an injury, though she is not expected to be ready until conference play begins in late December.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Anthony Sorbellini

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