UNC basketball guard Seth Trimble Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

UNC Basketball Now Firmly Outside Projected Top 25

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated May 2, 2025 7:11 AM ET

Former Arizona big man Henri Veesaar ranks No. 30 overall and No. 6 among centers in the portal. But only one other UNC basketball transfer prize checks in among the top 100, and that player, former Colorado State guard Kyan Evans, is just barely holding on to that distinction at No. 99 in the cycle.

Sure, the Tar Heels also welcome a three-deep recruiting haul featuring five-star forward Caleb Wilson. And as things stand, they're set to welcome back two scholarship players from last season's squad, yet with only one, senior-to-be Seth Trimble, having been part of the 2024-25 regular rotation.

So, with all of the above in mind, it should come as no surprise that many college basketball experts aren't all that high on Hubert Davis' roster construction for his fifth season at the helm in Chapel Hill.

On Thursday night, national analyst John Fanta released his latest projected top 25. UNC is nowhere to be found:

Here’s my updated way too early Top 25. What do you guys think??? pic.twitter.com/Crf3y6T28M
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) May 1, 2025

Fanta foresees only two ACC programs beginning the campaign inside the top 25. However, both stack up among his top 10 in No. 7 Louisville and No. 9 Duke.

UNC basketball tipped off its 2024-25 season at No. 9 in the AP Top 25 Poll. By early December, though, the Tar Heels had dropped out completely, and they never returned en route to finishing a disappointing 23-14 overall.

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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