North Carolina Slides Down Slightly in Latest Power Rankings

It has been an impressive start for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who boast an 8-1 record, which includes wins over Kansas, Kentucky, and Georgetown. The Tar Heels' last two wins have come against the last two teams mentioned in the previous sentence, and that led to North Carolina jumping to No. 14 in the latest AP Poll rankings released earlier this week.

On Thursday, ESPN's basketball recruiting insider Jeff Borzello conducted a Power Rankings exercise entering this weekend's slate of games. The power rankings do not mirror the official rankings made public on Monday.

With that being said, here is where the Tar Heels stand in ESPN's latest power rankings.

North Carolina Sees Slight Dip

Dec 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) with the ball as Georgetown Hoyas forward Isaiah Abraham (7) defends in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Last week, the Tar Heels were No. 11 in ESPN's power rankings, but this week, North Carolina is slotted in at No. 12 behind Illinois.

"Caleb Wilson has been one of this season's elite players, and with Henri Veesaar also playing at an extremely high level, Hubert Davis has perhaps the best low-post tandem in the country, Borzello writes. "Wilson is averaging 19.3 points and 10.6 rebounds with six double-doubles in his past seven games."

"Meanwhile, Veesaar had 17 points and 10 boards against Kentucky then went for 18 points, 15 boards and 3 blocks against Georgetown," Borzello continued. "The Arizona transfer showed flashes down the stretch last season and has officially taken the next step in Chapel Hill."

Dec 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis talks with guard Kyan Evans (0) and guard Derek Dixon (3) in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

This is a fair assessment of North Carolina's current status, and if the supporting cast continued to develop, the Tar Heels could skyrocket up this list in the coming weeks. Head coach Hubert Davis is expecting this team to take that step at some point this season.

Davis' Thoughts

UNC — Dean Smith Center | Grant Chachere, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

"I believe we're growing," Davis said. "We're getting better at it. It's not a finished product. I feel like we've got a long way to go, but one of the things that I consistently talk to them about is how do you react and how do you respond?"

"But from an offensive standpoint, we're inside out," Davis continued. "I've been clear, definitive, I [want to] dominate points in the paint through post penetration, offensive rebounding, limit the paint, limit the free throw line, put max pressure on the rim."

Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis watches the action across the court during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

"I'm really looking forward to the day where we're dominating points in the paint and we're hot from three-point range and we make all of our free throws."

If North Carolina sees an uptick in three-point production and efficiency, the ceiling for the Tar Heels is immensely high.

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