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UNC basketball lands a Way-Too-Early Top 25 ranking according to popular media outlet
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- UNC basketball lands a Way-Too-Early Top 25 ranking according to popular media outlet
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.
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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."
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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.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball makes USA TODAY Sports way-too-early top 25
