The national media isn’t showing much love to Hubert Davis’ fifth UNC basketball squad.
Looking ahead to the 2025–26 season, only two scholarship players from the current 2024–25 roster are guaranteed to return. Still, Davis and his staff are bringing in a top-10 recruiting class, ranked No. 7 nationally, along with five veteran transfers — four of whom are rated four-stars — giving UNC the No. 17-ranked portal class in the country.
Overall, the roster shows promise. However, based on most early rankings, which place UNC either at the edge of the top 25 or just outside it, the Tar Heels aren’t widely seen as strong national title contenders.
That perception was reinforced on Tuesday when ESPN analyst Jeff Borzello dropped UNC three spots to No. 25 in his updated rankings — a sign that other programs are gaining momentum through the transfer portal while UNC’s activity has cooled.
In Borzello’s view, UNC is the third-best team in the ACC, trailing behind No. 6 Duke and No. 7 Louisville. His projected starting five includes junior guard Kyan Evans, senior guard Seth Trimble, sophomore forward Jonathan Powell, freshman forward Caleb Wilson, and redshirt junior center Henri Veesaar.
Expert Opinion: Who Will Start for UNC Basketball Next Season?
The latest roster outlook for UNC basketball has them slipping outside yet another national expert’s top 25.
Without a few more key offseason additions, the Tar Heels could open the 2025–26 season unranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time in two decades. As things stand, more analysts are beginning to see UNC’s projected roster as one that may fall short of preseason rankings.
Jon Rothstein now joins that chorus. Just two weeks after ranking Hubert Davis’ fifth Tar Heel team at No. 22 in his regularly updated “ROTHSTEIN 45,” the veteran college hoops insider now places UNC at No. 26.
Rothstein envisions a starting lineup made up mostly of newcomers — three transfers and one freshman — with rising senior guard Seth Trimble likely the only returning starter from the previous season’s rotation. His projected starting five includes Trimble, junior guard Kyan Evans (Colorado State), junior forward Jarin Stevenson (Alabama), freshman forward Caleb Wilson, and redshirt junior center Henri Veesaar (Arizona).
Rothstein also highlights several key contributors off the bench: freshmen guards Isaiah Denis and Derek Dixon, junior guard Jaydon Young (Virginia Tech), sophomore forward Jonathan Powell (West Virginia), and senior forward Ven-Allen Lubin — a 20-game UNC starter who’s currently in the transfer portal but hasn’t closed the door on returning.
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