Why North Carolina Is Preseason Top 25-Worthy Team

It has been a whirlwind of an offseason for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who have completely restructured their culture and roster in just a few months after last season ended.

The main reason the Tar Heels were forced to shift their identity this offseason was the firing of former head coach Hubert Davis after failing to advance past the first round of the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season. North Carolina hired Michael Malone as the next head coach, and to his credit, he established a vision and executed soundly, assembling a competitive roster heading into the 2026 season.

Despite that, North Carolina found themselves on the outside looking in on Sports Illustrated's way-too-early top 25 teams in the country. With rosters around the nation being finalized, here is an argument for why the Tar Heels should be ranked.

North Carolina Should Be Ranked Inside Top 25

Mar 27, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The North Carolina Tar Heels logo on the video board during practice prior to NCAA Tournament at West Regional at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While the Tar Heels do lack cohesion and have new pieces all over the roster, they need to be at least included in these rankings. Yes, Malone is a first-year college basketball coach, and the majority of this roster did not play together last season. That said, North Carolina's talent, paired with a coach of Malone's pedigree, should have the program in the top 25.

Due to the massive changes North Carolina has undergone this offseason, it seems that the consensus approach among experts and analysts will be to 'believe it when I see it.' That is justifiable, but based on some of the teams featured in the top 25, that approach could be disputed.

Ranked Teams That UNC Should Be Ahead Of

Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; View of the team logos in a hallway after the game between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the North Carolina Tar Heels in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. North Carolina defeated Gonzaga 71-65. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

I am not suggesting that the Tar Heels should be ranked in the top 15, but there are multiple teams on this list that should be reconsidered. The first one that comes to mind is the Kentucky Wildcats, which are ranked No. 23. Yes, they landed Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, who was the best transfer prospect still available and arguably the best player when the portal opened on April 7.

However, coaching is a part of the equation, and head coach Mark Pope has yet to prove that he is the right fit at Kentucky. I would also argue that Pope has had better teams in recent memory and ultimately failed with those players. Other than Momcilovic, Pope swung and missed on several marquee transfers, including Terrence Brown, who signed with North Carolina.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope calls a play during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Speaking of Momcilovic's former program, Iowa State is another team for which the Tar Heels have a legitimate argument to be ranked higher. In addition to Momcilovic, Tamin Lipsey, and Joshua Jefferson also departed the program this offseason, leaving the Cyclones without their three best players from last season's roster.

Now, as this offseason has indicated, I am a huge believer in T.J. Otzelberger, as I suggested him as a legitimate candidate for North Carolina's head coach vacancy before Malone was hired. Iowa State has also added five new players in the portal, but none of whom measure up to what the Tar Heels have brought in this offseason.

The last team that North Carolina should supplant in these specific rankings is Purdue. The Boilermakers lost Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kauffman-Renn, and Oscar Cluff. The Tar Heels also lost eight of their top 10 leading scorers from last season, but again, Malone added a multitude of versatile players to his roster. I would argue that Purdue should be off this list entirely.

Overall Thoughts

Mar 28, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

North Carolina does have to prove itself first, but based on the coaching and roster that it will bring into 2026, you can make a case that this program should be ranked inside the top 25 at this point in the offseason. In addition to Brown, Malone and his staff landed Neoklis Avdalas, Matt Able, Sayon Keita, Alexandros Samodurov, and Kevin Thomas, while retaining Jarin Stevenson, Maximo Adams (an incoming freshman), Isaiah Denis, and Jaydon Young.

I will not be surprised if the Tar Heels establish themselves as a top-20 team heading into conference play. North Carolina could enhance that argument by defeating Kentucky on Dec. 19 at Madison Square Garden in the CBS Sports Classic.

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