Artacho’s Angle: UNC Men's Hoops Relationship With the AP Poll

Head coach Hubert Davis will open up year No. 5 as the No. 25 team in the country with a contest in Chapel Hill inside the Dean Smith Center against Central Arkansas.

North Carolina's last outing as a program came on March 21, earlier this year, as it took on the Ole Miss Rebels as an 11-seed. UNC's time in the NCAAT was short, getting knocked out of the first round by head coach Chris Beard and the Rebels, 71-64.

UNC — North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis at the 2025 ACC Tipoff | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

Now, the Tar Heels have made changes. The roster turnover led to six acquisitions in the transfer portal, plus three players from the high school scene. Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, Jonathan Powell, Jarin Stevenson, Henri Veesaar, Ivan Matlekovic, Caleb Wilson, Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis will put on a Carolina blue uniform this upcoming season.

UNC — North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis at the 2025 ACC Tipoff | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

However, the AP Polls have not always been correct with UNC, and one season in particular that stands out far from the rest is the 2022-2023 season.

Davis' second year as head coach, following a magical run to the national championship with the "Iron Five," that included RJ Davis, Caleb Love, Leaky Black, Brady Manek and Armando Bacot.

Feb 16, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Team Braxton forward Armando Bacot (0) of the Memphis Hustle of the Raptors 905 is introduced before the G-League-Next Up Game against Team Earn Your Leisure at Moscone Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Tar Heels were given the honors of being the No. 1 team in the preseason polls, before disaster happened and they completely missed the NCAAT.

UNC — North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis at the 2025 ACC Tipoff | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

The 2022-2023 Season for UNC Men's Basketball

UNC began the season winning its first five games against UNC Wilmington, Charleston, Gardner-Webb, James Madison and Portland. But then things took a turn for the worse, dropping its next four games to Iowa State, Alabama (in quadruple overtime), Indiana and Virginia Tech.

UNC basketball | Matt Giles-North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

North Carolina ended that losing streak with a win against Georgia Tech, followed by victories facing The Citadel, Ohio State and Michigan. The lemon Oreos, a featured commodity amongst the team brought up by Pete Nance, who transferred to Chapel Hill during the offseason after spending four years at Northwestern.

Mar 4, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Pete Nance (32) reacts in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Davis and the Tar Heels were swept by their arch-rival Duke that year, losing on the road, 63-57 and at home, 62-57.

The 2022 national championship appearance did not have any juice to carry over toward the next postseason — as UNC had trouble gaining signature wins over Q1 opponents — a big prominent factor during the Davis era so far.

Apr 4, 2022; New Orleans, LA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) is consoled after losing the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four championship game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

North Carolina will have that No. 25 for as long as it wins games. But for it and any other team in college basketball, the opportunity to play in the Field of 68 goes beyond the AP Poll.

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