UNC women’s basketball is No. 15 in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, the final ranking before New Year’s Day 2026.
The Tar Heels (12-3, 1-1 ACC) have won three straight games, including a 90-39 victory at Boston College on Monday, Dec. 29. UNC returns to Carmichael Auditorium for its next two games to play California (9-5) and Stanford (12-2) on Jan. 1 and Jan. 4 in Chapel Hill.
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Nyla Harris (19 points, 9 rebounds), Ciera Toomey (11 points, 8 rebounds) and Nyla Brooks (15 points) led the Tar Heels in their rout of the Eagles in Massachusetts. Indya Nivar continues to pace UNC in scoring at 11.8 points per game.
No. 13 Louisville (12-3) and No. 18 Notre Dame (10-2) are the other ACC teams in the coaches poll. Here’s a breakdown of where the Tar Heels are in the latest rankings before 2026.
Women’s college basketball rankings, Dec. 30
Here’s a look at UNC women’s basketball rankings across several polls as of Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025.
USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball poll
The USA TODAY Sports Top 25 women’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 women’s basketball poll
UNC is No. 16 in the AP poll. There wasn’t an AP poll on Dec. 29, meaning the next poll will be released on Monday, Jan. 5.
UNC women’s basketball NET ranking
The Tar Heels are currently 17th in the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings. Through 15 games, UNC has an 0-3 record in Quadrant 1 games, but is 12-0 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.
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.
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This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC women’s basketball rankings, Tar Heels in polls entering 2026
