Is the UNC Basketball program considered a top-10 squad in the Way-Too-Early Top 25?

We’re still a few months away from the start of the 2024-2025 college basketball season, but hey, it’s never too early to start putting out team rankings, right?!

It’s not too early for ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, who released his annual Way-Too-Early Top 25 list. The UNC basketball program currently sits as a top-10 team, claiming the No. 10 overall spot on the list.

RJ Davis made official his return to Chapel Hill for his final season, which gives the Tar Heels a preseason first-team All-American and arguably the Wooden Award favorite. The perimeter group was finalized when Belmont transfer Cade Tyson, a 46.5% 3-point shooter, committed. Hubert Davis clearly made getting a true 5-man a priority in the portal, and after missing on a few of his top targets, the Tar Heels ultimately landed Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin.

North Carolina is the second-highest ACC school on the list, trailing only Duke (who comes in at No. 8). If you were questioning just how tough the UNC basketball program’s non-conference schedule is, look no farther than the top two spots on this list, as the Tar Heels will compete against No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Alabama early on in the 2024-2025 season.

The Tar Heels will look a bit different this season, as Armando Bacot is no longer around and the likes of Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan departed after just one season in Chapel Hill. Although the UNC basketball program lost ample talent, it added plenty of it as well, as five-star incoming freshmen Ian Jackson and Drake Powell are slated to make immediate impacts while transfer additions Cade Tyson and Ven-Allen Lubin are also expected to be major contributors.

Sure, plenty can (and will change) throughout the 2024-2025 season, but the expectations are as high as they normally are for the boys in Carolina Blue.