UNC basketball stayed put in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll ahead of New Year’s Day 2026.
Following a 48-point win against East Carolina and an eight-day break, the Tar Heels (12-1) remain at No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, which was released on Monday, Dec. 29. They begin ACC play against Florida State (7-6) on Tuesday, Dec. 30 (7 p.m., ESPN2), in Chapel Hill.
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No. 5 Duke (11-1), No. 13 Louisville (10-2) and No. 21 Virginia (11-1) are the other ACC teams in the coaches poll. Michigan (11-0) remains the No. 1 team in the nation, followed by No. 2 Arizona (12-0).
Here’s a breakdown of UNC’s rankings across several national polls and analytics sites.
College basketball rankings, Dec. 29
Here’s a look at UNC basketball’s rankings across several polls and analytics sites as of Monday, Dec. 29, 2025.
USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll
The USA TODAY Sports Top 25 men’s basketball poll is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. First-place votes in parentheses.
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UNC basketball ranking in AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll
UNC remain at No. 12 in the AP Top 25 poll. There won’t be another AP poll released until Monday, Jan. 5.
UNC basketball NET ranking
The Tar Heels are currently 15th in the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings. Through 13 games, UNC has a 3-1 record in Quadrant 1 games – with wins against Kansas at home, at Kentucky and against Ohio State on a neutral court, and a loss against Michigan State at a neutral site – and a 9-0 record in Quadrants 2-4. Breaking down the quadrant system, home games against teams ranked from No. 1-30, neutral-site games against teams ranked No. 1-50 and away games against opponents ranked No. 1-75 are considered Q1 chances.
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UNC basketball ranking on KenPom, Bart Torvik, EvanMiya analytics sites
Here’s a look at the Tar Heels’ rankings on analytics sites, including KenPom, Bart Torvik, EvanMiya and Haslametrics as of Dec. 29. UNC is 22nd in KenPom, 20th in EvanMiya, 22nd on Torvik’s T-Rank and 18th in Haslametrics.
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to rbaxley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball rankings, Tar Heels in polls before ACC play
