Strong offseason puts UNC basketball in ESPN's latest Preseason Top 25 Rankings
Strong offseason puts UNC basketball in ESPN's latest Preseason Top 25 Rankings Can the UNC basketball team surpass its preseason expectations?
Thanks to their high-profile additions in the transfer portal, the North Carolina Tar Heels should be one of college basketball's best teams in the 2025-2026 season.
Needing to address its underwhelming size in the post, UNC nabbed one of the portal's greatest players in Henri Veesaar, the 7-foot center who played his first two years at Arizona. North Carolina also found its projected starting point guard in Kyan Evans, 6'11" power forward and Chapel Hill native Jarin Stevenson, plus a pair of shooting guards in Jonathan Powell and Jaydon Young.
In addition to their portal activity, the Tar Heels are returning experienced guard Seth Trimble and bringing in 5-star power forward Caleb Wilson. Despite Drake Powell declaring for – and later deciding to stay in the NBA Draft – UNC is a team to watch this coming winter.
In ESPN's updated preseason Top 25 rankings, this time after the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline, Jeff Borzello kept North Carolina at 25th.
"Hubert Davis has been busy in the portal, replacing the departing Elliot Cadeau and Ian Jackson with transfers Kyan Evans (Colorado State) and Jonathan Powell (West Virginia)," Borzello said. "Davis also landed one of the best bigs in the portal with Arizona's Henri Veesaar, as well as upside players in Alabama's Jarin Stevenson and Virginia Tech's Jaydon Young."
With Seth Trimble's return and top-10 recruit Caleb Wilson's arrival, there's a talented core in Chapel Hill," Borzello continued. "But Carolina had also been swinging (and missing) on impact wings, especially after Drake Powell opted to remain in the NBA draft, despite not appearing to be a lock first-round pick. That drought ended when Montenegrin wing Luka Bogavac picked North Carolina. The 22-year-old should make an immediate impact as a shooter."
As a reminder, preseason rankings mean virtually nothing, but it's nice to see UNC getting some recognition. What matters most is where the Tar Heels end their campaign – hopefully, this coming season, that's with a seventh National Championship.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
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