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CHAPEL HILL — When Jarin Stevenson made his college decision two years ago, it came with the kind of weight only felt by someone born into the fabric of Carolina basketball. And yet, when it was his turn, the kid who played at Seaforth High School outside Pittsboro didn’t stay home. Picking UNC out of the portal was a quick decision.
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.
Carolina is ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll for the 20th consecutive season, but at its lowest position during that span.
Neither North Carolina nor the ACC fares well in the preseason KenPom men’s college basketball ratings.
In Chapel Hill, jersey numbers are more than just identifiers. They’re heirlooms that hang from the Smith Center rafters after legendary Tar Heels wear them. Each number stitched onto a Carolina blue uniform carries echoes of past players, championship runs and unforgettable moments. For this season’s team, the numbers they wear link them to legends, role players and stories that span generations.
CHAPEL HILL — When Jaydon Young was a kid, North Carolina basketball wasn’t just a team — it was his world. Growing up in Goldsboro, he wore Carolina blue with pride, cheering from his living room, sometimes pacing with nervous energy, sometimes sulking after a loss.
CHAPEL HILL — There’s no mistaking when Caleb Wilson enters a room. The 6–10 Carolina freshman forward from Atlanta doesn’t just walk in. He fills the space. His voice carries. His laugh echoes. His presence draws people in, teammates and students alike.
CHARLOTTE — As Carolina coach Hubert Davis prepares for a season marked by transformation and high expectations, he’s both introspective and energized. With offseason chatter framing this as a pivotal season for him, Davis is embracing the challenge head-on.
CHARLOTTE — Here is the complete transcript and the video from North Carolina’s men’s basketball press conference Tuesday afternoon at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown, with Coach Hubert Davis, center Henri Veesaar and guard Seth Trimble.
CHARLOTTE — Jim Phillips says that the ACC is reshaping its competitive balance and its basketball schedule to better position the league for national prominence.
CHARLOTTE — With Lexi Donarski gone, there’s little mystery about who will likely take on the toughest defensive assignments for North Carolina this season. Senior guard Indya Nivar, the Tar Heels’ best returning defensive player, is ready to embrace that challenge, and as one of the team’s veterans, she’ll do it while leading a younger, retooled backcourt.
CHARLOTTE — North Carolina will be part of the first day featuring men’s basketball teams at the ACC Tipoff on Tuesday at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown, and you can watch the Tar Heels on ACC Network.
CHARLOTTE — Most coaches replacing three starters, including a decorated five-year player, face significant challenges. It’s not as if North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart wouldn’t love to have forward Alyssa Ustby, center Maria Gakdeng and guard Lexi Donarski back. But the influx of six talented players, including an incoming recruiting class ESPN ranked No. 5, along with stars returning, could make that transition easier after last season’s Sweet 16 run.
CHAPEL HILL — He doesn’t mean to do it. He snaps. One bad possession, one missed defensive rotation and suddenly, Jonathan Powell is tearing at his practice jersey, fabric ripping down the middle, and emotion flowing. It’s not a tantrum. It’s combustion.
Here are some images from the first public appearance of the season’s North Carolina men’s basketball game at the Blue-White scrimmage Saturday afternoon at the Smith Center.
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