Men's Basketball Starts 2025-26 At No. 25 In AP Poll

mbball

Feb 10Final

L66- 75

Coral Gables, Fla.

mbball

Feb 14Final

W79- 65

Chapel Hill

mbball

Feb 17Final

L58- 82

Raleigh, N.C.

mbball

Feb 21Final

W77- 64

Syracuse, N.Y.

mbball

Feb 23Final

W77- 74

Chapel Hill

mbball

Feb 28Final

W89- 82

Chapel Hill

mbball

Mar 3Final

W67- 63

Chapel Hill

mbball

Mar 7Final

L61- 76

Durham, N.C.

mbball

Mar 12Final

L79- 80

Charlotte, N.C.

mbball

Mar 19

Greenville, S.C.

All-Sport Schedule

Head coach Hubert Davis

Photo by: Maggie Hobson

October 14, 2025 | Men's Basketball

By: Matt Bowers

The University of North Carolina men's basketball team will begin the 2025-26 season ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press poll, the AP announced this week with the release of its preseason rankings.

Purdue tops the preseason rankings for the first time, followed in the top five by Houston, defending NCAA champion Florida, UConn and St John's. The rest of the top 10 includes No. 6 Duke, No. 7 Michigan, No. 8 BYU, No. 9 Kentucky and No. 10 Texas Tech.

Louisville is No. 11, giving the Atlantic Coast Conference three teams in the poll.

Carolina will face at least six regular season games against teams ranked in the preseason poll, including versus No. 6 Duke (twice), No. 9 Kentucky (on the road in the ACC/SEC Challenge), No. 11 Louisville, No. 19 Kansas and No. 22 Michigan State (in the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Thanksgiving day).

The Tar Heels also will play No. 8 BYU in a preseason game in Salt Lake City, Utah, later this month on Friday October 24.