By R.L. Bynum
Before Coach Courtney Banghart arrived at Carolina in 2019, the Tar Heels hadn’t been ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll the previous four seasons, but her team on Tuesday made that preseason poll for the fourth consecutive season.
The Tar Heels, coming off the 19th Sweet 16 appearance in program history, check in at No. 11, the highest rank in the preseason poll since the 2009–10 team was No. 5.
Carolina, which was ranked as high as No. 8 last season and was No. 14 in the final poll, faces a challenging schedule that includes facing No. 2 South Carolina in an exhibition game in Atlanta on Oct. 30. During the regular season, the Tar Heels will face six ranked teams:
— No. 3 UCLA (Nov. 13 at the WBCA Challenge in Las Vegas)
— No. 4 Texas (Dec. 4 in the ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge in Austin, Texas)
— No. 7 Duke (Feb. 15 in Durham and March 1 in Chapel Hill)
— No. 9 N.C. State (Feb. 2 in Raleigh)
— No. 15 Notre Dame (Jan. 11 in South Bend, Ind.)
— No. 20 Louisville (Dec. 14 in Chapel Hill)
South Carolina comes off an appearance in the NCAA tournament championship game, while UCLA and Texas each made the Final Four, Duke made the Elite Eight and N.C. State made the Sweet 16.
Reigning national champion UConn is No. 1, garnering 27 of 31 first-place votes, with the Gamecocks getting the other four.
The Tar Heels open the season at 11 a.m. on Nov. 3 with the annual Field Trip Day game, this season against N.C. Centra.
AP Preseason Top 25
| Rank | School (1st-place votes) | Poll points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn (27) | 771 |
| 2 | South Carolina (4) | 740 |
| 3 | UCLA | 705 |
| 4 | Texas | 672 |
| 5 | LSU | 647 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 593 |
| 7 | Duke | 578 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 559 |
| 9 | N.C. State | 510 |
| 10 | Maryland | 461 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 440 |
| 12 | Ole Miss | 382 |
| 13 | Michigan | 375 |
| 14 | Iowa State | 363 |
| 15 | Notre Dame | 289 |
| 16 | Baylor | 280 |
| 17 | TCU | 263 |
| 18 | Southern California | 235 |
| 19 | Vanderbilt | 229 |
| 20 | Louisville | 228 |
| 21 | Iowa | 130 |
| 22 | Oklahoma State | 128 |
| 23 | Michigan State | 103 |
| T24 | Kentucky | 93 |
| T24 | Richmond | 93 |
Others receiving votes: Washington 79, Ohio St. 46, West Virginia 17, Princeton 17, Minnesota 15, Kansas St 15, Kansas 7, Stanford 3, South Dakota St. 3, Illinois 2, Nebraska 2, Columbia 2.
UNC’s AP poll history since 1991
| Season | Preseason | Final | High | Low | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 19 | 14 |
| 2023–24 | 16 | NR | 16 | 25 | 22 |
| 2022–23 | 12 | 20 | 6 | 22 | 14 |
| 2021–22 | NR | 17 | 16 | 25 | 21 |
| 2016–17 to 2020–21 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| 2015–16 | 22 | NR | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 2014–15 | 13 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 12 |
| 2013–14 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 12 |
| 2012–13 | NR | 13 | 11 | 25 | 16 |
| 2011–12 | 20 | NR | 14 | 25 | 21 |
| 2010–11 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 19 | 13 |
| 2009–10 | 5 | NR | 4 | 18 | 9 |
| 2008–09 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 11 | 6 |
| 2007–08 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
| 2006–07 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2005–06 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| 2004–05 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 7 |
| 2003–04 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 13 |
| 2002–03 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 16 | 11 |
| 2001–02 | NR | 16 | 16 | 24 | 19 |
| 2000–01 | 22 | NR | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 1999–2000 | 9 | NR | 8 | 15 | 10 |
| 1998–99 | 10 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 9 |
| 1997–98 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 7 |
| 1996–97 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 13 |
| 1995–96 | 23 | NR | 22 | 25 | 23 |
| 1994–95 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 7 |
| 1993–94 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 5 |
| 1992–93 | 22 | 17 | 12 | 22 | 18 |
| 1991–92 | NR | NR | 21 | 25 | 24 |
Data courtesy of collegepollarchive.com.
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Projected roster if all players with eligibility other than Elina Aarnisalo, Lanie Grant,, Taliyah Henderson and Liza Ashtakhova and Liza Ashtakhova return, with years listed for next season (UNC is one below the 15-player limit)
| Year | No./ Stars | Players | Pos. | Height | |
| Freshman | 5 star | Kate Harpring | PG | 5–10 | |
| Freshman | 52/4 star | Noelle Bofia | F | 6–4 | |
| Sophomore | 3 | Gabby White — W | G | 5–10 | |
| Sophomore | 7 | Nyla Brooks | W | 6–1 | |
| Sophomore | 26 | Taissa Queiroz | G | 6–1 | |
| Junior | 34 | Blanca Thomas | C | 6–5 | |
| Junior | 1 | Jordan Zubich | G | 5–11 | |
| RS junior | 21 | Ciera Toomey | F | 6–4 | |
| RS junior | 4 | Laila Hull | W | 6–1 | |
| Senior | Sophie Burrows — X | G | 6–2 | ||
| Senior | 11 | Achol Akot — Y | F | 6–1 | |
| Senior | 10 | Reniya Kelly | G | 5–7 | |
| Senior | 15 | Sydney Barker | G | 5–6 | |
| Graduate | 13 | Chloe Clardy — Z | G | 5–9 |
W — Virginia transfer; X — Syracuse transfer; Y — Oklahoma State transfer; Z — Stanford transfer
Former players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elina Aarnisalo | Junior | G | 5–10 | UCLA |
| Lanie Grant | Junior | G | 5–9 | TCU |
| Taliyah Henderson | Sophomore | W | 6–1 | Clemson |
| Liza Astakhova | Sophomore | G | 6–2 | BYU |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
