After striking out in the 2024 offseason transfer portal, Hubert Davis did a complete 180 entering UNC’s 2025-2026 basketball season.
North Carolina lost four starters from last year’s team, including starting guards Elliot Cadeau and RJ Davis. The Tar Heels also parted ways with starting center Ven-Allen Lubin, plus Drake Powell earned himself a first-round NBA Draft selection.
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UNC reloaded with a 7-foot center in Henri Veesaar, 5-star freshman power forward Caleb Wilson, projected starting point guard Kyan Evans and versatile, Chapel Hill native Jarin Stevenson. Seth Trimble steps into a captain role, so you can understand the excitement at North Carolina.
Despite all this excitement, the Tar Heels don’t have a favorable outlook in preseason rankings. In USA TODAY Sports’ too-early Top 25 rankings, UNC dropped out, along with Baylor.
Oklahoma, Texas and North Carolina rival NC State all barely missed the poll, with shocking omissions from two typically strong programs – and one from a surprise, 2024 Final Four team.
I’ve said this before and I’ll continue to: preseason rankings meaning nothing. Count how many times the Tar Heels earned a Top 25 spot before actually taking the court, only to severely disappoint.
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UNC fans recently got a teaser for the upcoming season, with a full slate of non-conference matchups announced, highlighted by a November 7 home date against Kansas. North Carolina will also face Kentucky, Michigan State and Ohio State before hopping into ACC play, giving several strong tests to prove itself as a Top 25 team.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball drops out of USA TODAY Sports’ too-early Top 25
