UNC Basketball: What Success Truly Means for 2025 Season

At Carolina, the season is always defined by what happens in March. You can win in the ACC, you can win rivalry games, but what people remember are the tournament runs

Mar 18, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) signs a “March Madness” towel in the second half against the San Diego State Aztecs at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

At Carolina, the season is always defined by what happens in March. You can win in the ACC, you can win rivalry games, but what people remember are tournament runs. Last year proved that better than anything.

The Tar Heels went into the 2025 NCAA Tournament with a 23–13 record, averaging just over 80 points per game. They had firepower-  led by RJ Davis, who scored 17.2 points per game, and freshman Ian Jackson, who added nearly 12.

Scoring wasn’t the issue. It was defense and consistency that held them back, which is why instead of being safely in the bracket, UNC wound up in the First Four.

Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis during the first half of a first round NCAA men’s tournament game against the Mississippi Rebels at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

But in Dayton, they showed what Carolina basketball can still be. The Heels routed San Diego State 95- 68, with Davis putting on a clinic: 26 points, 6-for-6 from three, tying a UNC tournament record.

For a night, they looked unstoppable, but the season ended short of the kind of run fans expect. The message was simple: being good isn’t enough here. You have to be great when it counts.

This Season

Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jae'Lyn Withers (24) is helped off the court by guard Seth Trimble (7) and forward Ven-Allen Lubin (22) during the second half of a first round NCAA men’s tournament game against the Mississippi Rebels at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Now, the page turns-  and this year’s team looks almost nothing like last year’s. Seth Trimble is the lone returning player. Everyone else is new, whether it’s freshmen or transfers. That means the 2025- 26 Heels aren’t just chasing redemption, they’re building an identity from scratch.

In some ways, that wipes the slate clean. There’s no Davis to lean on, no Jackson to emerge as a second option. Instead, Trimble brings experience in Chapel Hill and will be asked to steady a roster full of fresh faces. Chemistry will take time. Mistakes will happen. But the standard never changes: this program is judged by March.

For this team, success doesn’t have to mean a Final Four-  not with so much turnover. But making the NCAA Tournament, finding their footing against real competition, and showing progress throughout the season will matter. By the time March rolls around, the question will be the same as always: can they make a run that counts?

At North Carolina, “March or bust” isn’t just a slogan. It’s the reality. And for a team with one returning player, the chance to prove themselves on that stage might matter more than ever.

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