In Chapel Hill, that’s unfamiliar territory. It’s a place that once measured success not by making the rankings, but by how long it stayed in the top five. It’s a program that has always demanded national relevance from Dean Smith’s discipline to Roy Williams’ fire, from Jordan to Maye, from Hansbrough to Bacot. The Carolina blue has always meant something special.
But this year, things are shifting. This year, the Heels have something to prove.
Hubert Davis’ team enters the 2025–26 season as a mystery box full of potential, yet still untested. It’s a roster that looks better on paper than what fans saw last season, built around athleticism, length, and a balanced attack. Gone are the days of relying on one or two star players to carry the load. Now, Carolina’s success will depend on how quickly this new group finds its chemistry and how much heart they bring when the lights come on.
Still, even with uncertainty swirling, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed: expectations.
Because this is North Carolina. And simply being “good enough” has never been the goal.
The ACC landscape isn’t making it any easier. Duke, ranked No. 6, looks as stacked as ever. Louisville sits just outside the top 10 at No. 11, hungry to make a statement. And NC State, sitting painfully close at No. 26, will be looking to knock their neighbors down at every opportunity. In short, the ACC battle this year will be a war.
And the Tar Heels’ schedule? Brutal. Carolina will face six preseason Top 25 teams, five of them in regular-season play. A preseason exhibition with No. 8 BYU will be followed by a string of national showdowns: home and away against No. 6 Duke, a blue-blood clash with No. 9 Kentucky, a grudge match with No. 11 Louisville, a marquee home test against No. 19 Kansas, and another historic showdown with No. 22 Michigan State.
These aren’t just games they’re measuring sticks. They’re the kind of nights that tell the world whether Carolina is a contender or just another team trying to reclaim its past.
The college basketball landscape has changed drastically. NIL money, the transfer portal, and constant roster turnover have made preseason rankings more speculative than ever. The old rules don’t apply anymore not even to the bluebloods. But one truth remains: programs with legacy, with banners, with expectations they always find a way to matter.
And Carolina? They always matter.
For Hubert Davis, this season could be defining. It’s not just about wins and losses; it’s about re-establishing an identity. The 2024–25 campaign left fans frustrated moments of brilliance followed by inconsistency, promise clouded by late-season struggles. This year’s team looks leaner, tougher, and hungrier. There’s a quiet determination in this group that wasn’t there before.
In the Smith Center, the energy is different. You can feel it.
Players like Seth Trimble and Cormac Ryan have taken on leadership roles, while the new recruits bring in the spark that fans have been craving. There’s real depth this time, and that means competition the kind that breeds greatness.
But at No. 25, the message is clear: nothing will be handed to them.
For 20 straight years, Carolina has started the season inside the Top 25. But this this one might be the most important of all. It’s not about the number beside their name. It’s about how much it fuels them to rise again.
Because if history has taught us anything, it’s this when North Carolina sneaks into the rankings, it rarely stays at the bottom for long.
This team might just be one statement win away from waking up the entire college basketball world. And when they do, don’t say you didn’t see it coming.
They may have just snuck in… but they’re not here to stay at No. 25. They’re here to climb.
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