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USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
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.
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ACC reveals UNC's conference opponents for 2025-2026 college basketball season
ACC reveals UNC's conference opponents for 2025-2026 college basketball season Which ACC opponent are you most excited to watch the Tar Heels play? Thanks to extensive activity in the transfer portal alone, there's plenty of anticipation for the North Carolina Tar Heels' 2025-2026 basketball season. UNC reinforced its roster with five portal additions, none more impactful than 7-foot Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar. North Carolina also added hometown kid Jarin Stevenson, who played his first two collegiate seasons at Alabama, projected starting point guard Kyan Evans, plus a pair of shooting guards in Jonathan Powell and Jaydon Young. With all the offseason excitement so far, you're probably wondering when the Tar Heels will release their full schedule. Good news: we have a sneak peek for you. On Wednesday, May 28, UNC announced their ACC opponents for the 2025-2026 college basketball season. North Carolina will host and travel to two opponents: Syracuse and archrival Duke. The Tar Heels' home-only opponents will be Pitt, Florida State, Clemson, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Louisville and Notre Dame, while the Tar Heels will only travel to Cal, Stanford, SMU, Miami (FL), Georgia Tech, NC State and Virginia. At first glance, I'm shocked UNC isn't hosting NC State or Virginia. Those are two of North Carolina's biggest rivals - and always highly-attended at the Dean Dome. It will be the first time in over 100 years that the Tar Heels won't play the Wolfpack twice in the regular season. The Tar Heels also don't play Boston College once, which comes as a surprise to me. UNC hosted both Cal and Stanford last season, so traveling to the Golden State makes sense. North Carolina hosted and traveled to Duke, NC State and Pitt, but not hosting the Wolfpack this upcoming season is confusing. I'm intrigued to see how the Tar Heels' newest roster additions impact their success on the court. Will any new kids make names for themselves as ACC basketball legends? Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
01-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC to face successful Big 10 program in 2025 CBS Sports Classic
UNC to face successful Big 10 program in 2025 CBS Sports Classic UNC will face a familiar foe in the 2025 CBS Sports Classic. As the 2025 college basketball offseason continues to progress, excitement continues to build in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. UNC head coach Hubert Davis finally aced the transfer portal, highlighted by incoming center Henri Veesaar and point guard Kyan Evans. The Tar Heels will welcome a trio of Top-100 Class of 2025 recruits, headlined by 5-star power forward Caleb Wilson, while Drake Powell and Ven-Allen Lubin are open to returns. We don't know North Carolina's entire 2025-2026 schedule yet, but we recently learned one of North Carolina's first opponents for its upcoming season. On Tuesday, May 1, On3 Sports' Grant Grubbs announced UNC will face Ohio State, in the CBS Sports Classic on December 20 from Atlanta, Ga. The two programs last faced off in the 2022 edition of this popular in-season event, with UNC winning 89-84. The Buckeyes experienced another disappointing season last year, missing the NCAA Tournament for a third-consecutive campaign. 2024-2025 was OSU's first season under new head coach Jake Diebler, a longtime assistant under Chris Holtmann. The Tar Heels squeaked into the NCAA Tournament, much to the dismay of college basketball "experts," but quickly proved they belonged by stomping San Diego State in the First Four. North Carolina nearly completed a comeback of the ages against Ole Miss in the Round of 64, but fell behind by too many points, just as we witnessed all year. I expect Ohio State to reload and get back to being a Big 10 contender, while UNC has no excuse to not improve from last season. The Buckeyes aren't exactly a blue blood, but they are a consistently successful program that won the 1960 NCAA Tournament 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.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Where UNC basketball lands in ESPN's early top 25 for 2025-26 season
The 2024-25 college basketball season wrapped up Monday night with the Florida Gators taking down the Houston Cougars to capture the national championship. With the title game in the books, the focus shifts to the offseason and building the rosters for next season. For North Carolina, it's a VERY important offseason. The program needs to get back on track after what was considered a disappointing year. And it has already been an active offseason in terms of the transfer portal for the Tar Heels. Advertisement But where do they stand in the eyes of the national media? ESPN's Jeff Borzello released his first way-too-early top 25 rankings for the 2025-26 season, and he has UNC barely cracking the list, checking in at No. 25. Here is what Borzello said about the Tar Heels: "There is plenty still up in the air for the Tar Heels, particularly with the status of Drake Powell. He is not a lock first-round draft pick but could opt to head to the NBA anyway. Elliot Cadeau and Ian Jackson have already hit the portal. Hubert Davis landed one of the best big men in the portal in Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar, and he has top-10 recruit Caleb Wilson coming to Chapel Hill. But the team very much needs a true point guard, as well as some more pop on the wing." Projected starting lineup: Advertisement Derek Dixon (No. 52 in ESPN 100)Seth Trimble (11.6 PPG)Jonathan Powell (8.3 at West Virginia)Caleb Wilson (No. 7 in ESPN 100)Henri Veesaar (9.4 PPG at Arizona) While the Tar Heels barely cracked the list, the ACC doesn't have a good representation. Louisville was the top team at No. 3, but the Duke Blue Devils (No. 8) and the Tar Heels (No. 25) are the only other conference teams on the list. Coming off a down year for the conference, this isn't a good thing as the perspective on them from the national media is not a good one. There's a long way to go in the offseason and the rosters will continue to take shape, but it is helpful to see what a national writer has to say about the upcoming season. Advertisement Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions. This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball ranked in ESPN's way-too-early top 25 for 2025-26
USA Today
09-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC basketball lands a Way-Too-Early Top 25 ranking according to popular media outlet
UNC basketball lands a Way-Too-Early Top 25 ranking according to popular media outlet Will UNC live up to its way-too-early 2025-2026 rankings? The 2024-2025 college basketball season just ended on Monday night, with Florida staging yet another NCAA Tournament comeback – this time to beat Houston in the National Championship. If there's one thing the sports world loves more than watching live games, though, it's making predictions. There's a lot of early hype surrounding the North Carolina Tar Heels for their 2025-2026 campaign. Not only will UNC sport Top-10 incoming recruit Caleb Wilson in their starting lineup, but UNC finally landed some needed height in the transfer portal: 7-foot Arizona center Henri Veesaar. Seth Trimble announced his return for Year 4 on Tuesday, April 8, giving North Carolina some needed good news for its backcourt, while Jonathan Powell comes in from West Virginia. Going back to predictions, the Tar Heels are receiving some way-to-early Top 25 hype. UNC started last season in the Top 25, but squeaked into the NCAA Tournament, long after dropping out of the rankings. On Tuesday, USA TODAY Sports ranked North Carolina 22nd in its Way-Too-Early Top 25. Why did the Tar Heels receive this ranking? "To say next year is make-or-break for coach Hubert Davis isn't exactly going out on a limb," Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus wrote. "The good news is the Tar Heels have made inroads in the transfer market. with Henri Veesaar coming in from Arizona to help fill the gaping hole in the middle – and Jonathan Powell arriving from West Virginia – to pair with Seth Trimble for another perimeter scoring option. The freshmen class features 6-9 forward Caleb Wilson, but the backcourt will be young with R.J. Davis out of eligibility, Ian Jackson entering the portal and Elliott Cadeau also transferring out." I'm not a huge fan of the preseason rankings, as teams rarely finish where they started, but it's satisfying knowing national media outlets have hope for UNC's future. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
