Where the Tar Heels Stand in the Top 25 Rankings

The latest AP college basketball top 25 rankings have the North Carolina Tar Heels still within the top 25. Despite losing to the Michigan State Spartans on Thanksgiving Day in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, the Tar Heels' spot in the rankings remained the same, as they sit at 16th overall.

A week ago, North Carolina was ranked 16th in the country, and despite not playing a single game the week prior, the Tar Heels moved up two spots. That remains the same for Hubert Davis and his team.

Nov 18, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis talks to guard Kyan Evans (0) during the second half against the Navy Midshipmen at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Rankings are not the end-all be-all, but the Tar Heels not moving up or down indicates how they are viewed in the college basketball landscape by qualified evaluators and analysts.

Before we jump to conclusions and assumptions about where North Carolina should be, let's take a look at the reasons to be positive and worried about North Carolina's spot in the latest college basketball rankings.

Reasons for North Carolina Not Moving

The Michigan State Spartans compete against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division game at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on Fort Myers, Fla., on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. | Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was the second time North Carolina faced a ranked opponent this season. The first-ranked opponent The Tar Heels faced this season was the Kansas Jayhawks in Nov.

North Carolina took care of business, winning 87-74 at home. However, Kansas is in the same tier as the Tar Heels, as both teams are reliant on a star freshman, with the rest of the roster consisting of transfers and younger players filling out the supporting cast.

Michigan State is clearly a league above Kansas at this point in the season. The Spartans' experience and cohesion were vastly better than North Carolina's on Thursday.

Reasons Not to Overreact

It is always easy to become emotionally invested in the weekly rankings, but at the end of the day, those do not matter much once we enter postseason play in March. The Men's NCAA college basketball tournament - also known as March Madness - is still a few months away, and none of these teams are a finished product this early in Dec.

That is especially true for the Tar Heels, who have played seven games together with an entirely new starting five, excluding Seth Trimble, who is currently with a fractured forearm.

It is going to take time for this roster to gel and build chemistry. Once it does, which could be in a month or so, North Carolina could look dramatically different and be considered one of the top contenders for the national championship. Rankings, especially at this point of the season, do not mean much with conference play still on the horizon.

Please follow us on X when you click right HERE!

Please make sure you follow us today on our Facebook page when you click right HERE!