By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina is in the top 10 of the final AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll for the 39th time in program history and first time since 2019.
The 39 top-10 finishes are the third-most in the poll’s 76-year history. This is the 52nd time UNC has been ranked in the final poll, tied with Duke for the second-most.
The Tar Heels are No. 7 in the poll released Tuesday (down two spots from the previous poll), the first time the final poll has been released after the NCAA tournament since that was done in 1974 and 1975. In every previous season, the AP released its final poll the week before the tournament.
UConn (37–3), which won its second consecutive NCAA title on Monday night, is No. 1, followed by Purdue (34–5), which lost to the Huskies 75–60 in the championship game, at No. 2.
Duke (27–9), ranked No. 13 in the previous poll, finished No. 9 after losing to N.C. State in the Elite Eight. The Wolfpack (26–15), who won the ACC title and made an amazing run to the Final Four, jumped from unranked to No. 10. Clemson also went from unranked to making the final poll, coming in at No. 14.
It’s the first time UNC, Duke and N.C. State have all been in the top 10 in the final poll. State’s 15 losses are four more than for any other team in the final AP poll.
Carolina finished No. 6 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, down one spot, with Duke going up five spots to No. 9, N.C. State No. 13, and Clemson No. 15. The final Coaches Poll has traditionally come out after the NCAA tournament.
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UNC (29–8), ranked No. 5 heading into the NCAA tournament, beat Wagner 90–62 on March 21 and Michigan State 85–69 on March 23 in Charlotte before losing to Alabama 89–87 in the West Regional semifinals in Los Angeles on March 28.
The Tar Heels, who won the ACC regular-season title, were ranked as high as No. 3 from Jan. 22 until Feb. 5.
In way-to-early Top 25 rankings for next season, UNC is No. 9 on The Athletic’s list and No. 15 on ESPN’s list. Duke is No. 1 on both lists, with Miami No. 17 on ESPN’s list and No. 18 on The Athletic’s list. Both stories point out that the ranking hinges on the return of RJ Davis and Harrison Ingram.
AP Top 25
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 87, Oregon 77, Colorado 75, BYU 73, Texas 62, James Madison 57, Grand Canyon 37, Seton Hall 36, Wisconsin 27, Northwestern 23, Texas Tech 19, Indiana State 18, Miami 13, Michigan State 12, Duquesne 9, Yale 7, New Mexico 6, Arkansas 6, Maryland 5, Colorado State 5, Florida 4, Rutgers 2, Oakland 1, Nevada 1.
USA Today Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Poll points | Change | High/ low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn | 37–3 (31 first- place votes) | 775 | — | 1/5 |
| 2 | Purdue | 34–5 | 744 | +1 | 1/4 |
| 3 | Houston | 32–5 | 651 | -1 | 1/6 |
| 4 | Alabama | 25–12 | 642 | +14 | 4/NR |
| 5 | Tennessee | 27–9 | 638 | +1 | 4/13 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 29–8 | 578 | -1 | 3/21 |
| 7 | Illinois | 29–9 | 545 | +3 | 7/NR |
| 8 | Iowa State | 29–8 | 540 | -4 | 4/NR |
| 9 | Duke | 27–9 | 521 | +5 | 3/21 |
| 10 | Creighton | 25–10 | 473 | +1 | 6/NR |
| 11 | Marquette | 27–10 | 458 | -3 | 3/18 |
| 12 | Arizona | 27–9 | 440 | -3 | 1/13 |
| 13 | N.C. State | 26–15 | 389 | +20 | 13/NR |
| 14 | Baylor | 24–11 | 331 | -1 | 6/19 |
| 15 | Clemson | 24–12 | 326 | — | 11/NR |
| 16 | Gonzaga | 27–8 | 313 | — | 8/NR |
| 17 | Auburn | 27–8 | 302 | -10 | 6/NR |
| 18 | San Diego State | 26–11 | 218 | +7 | 15/NR |
| 19 | Kentucky | 23–10 | 172 | -7 | 6/20 |
| 20 | Utah State | 28-7 | 164 | -1 | 17/NR |
| 21 | Kansas | 23–11 | 136 | -1 | 1/21 |
| 22 | Saint Mary’s | 26–8 | 129 | -7 | 15/NR |
| 23 | South Carolina | 26–8 | 124 | -6 | 11/NR |
| 24 | Washington State | 25–10 | 62 | +3 | 20/NR |
| 25 | Texas Tech | 23–11 | 50 | -3 | 15/NR |
Schools dropping out: No. 21 BYU; No. 23 Florida; No. 24 Wisconsin;
Others receiving votes: BYU 49; Florida 44; Dayton 37; Colorado 36; Wisconsin 31; James Madison 30; Seton Hall 27; Texas 16; Indiana State 16; Michigan State 15; Texas A&M 13; Oregon 10; Oakland 10; Grand Canyon 10; Northwestern 5; Yale 2; Boise State 2; Nevada .;
UNC top-10 finishes in AP poll
No. 1 — 2008, 1998, 1994, 1984, 1982, 1957
No. 2 — 2012, 2009, 2005, 1987, 1972
No. 3 — 2019, 2016
No. 4 — 2012, 2007, 1997, 1995, 1993, 1991, 1969, 1968, 1967
No. 5 —1989, 1977, 1961
No. 6 — 2017, 2001, 1981
No. 7 — 2024 (first final poll after NCAA tournament), 2011, 1988, 1985
No. 8 — 1986, 1983, 1976
No. 9 — 1979, 1975, 1959
No. 10 — 2018, 2006, 1963
Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and the seven players who entered the transfer portal return, which would put UNC two under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 3 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 5 star | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–7 | 190 |
| RS freshman | Cade Bennerman — W | C | 7–0 | 205 | |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — Y | G | 6–6 | 205 | |
| Senior | Terrence Brown — Z | G | 6–3 | 174 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
W — Northwestern transfer. X — Virginia Tech transfer; Y — N.C. State transfer; Z — Utah transfer
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who left in transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 |
Key offseason dates
Through Sunday — NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
June 13 — Deadline for international players to withdraw from NBA draft and maintain college eligibility
June 23–24 — NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Nonconference schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski or Rocco Miller)
(11 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Nov. 27 — vs. West Virginia at the Dick Vitale Invitational at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center
Dec. 1 or 2 — vs. SEC team in ACC/SEC Challenge (announced last year on June 12)
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
