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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels nearing top 10 in latest NBC Sports Top 25

By Blake Cockrum

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 11: Rameses, the North Carolina Tar Heels mascot, cheers during their game against the Syracuse Orange in the second round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 11: Rameses, the North Carolina Tar Heels mascot, cheers during their game against the Syracuse Orange in the second round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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The UNC basketball program is approaching top-10 status in the latest NBC Sports Way-Too-Early Top 25

With the 2020-21 college basketball season less than six months away — and with very little else to talk about in the world of athletics — NBC Sports has released its latest iteration of the Way-Too-Early Top 25.

North Carolina comes in at No. 12 this week, as NBC Sports’ Rob Dauster notes that the Tar Heels’ uncertainty at the wing position — namely their lack of experience and shooting — affects both his ranking of the team, and their likelihood of success this season.

"“The Tar Heels will lost Cole Anthony, but with Caleb Love entering the program, they will once again be led by a five-star lead guard perfectly suited to running Roy Williams’ system,” Dauster writes. “The Tar Heels will also have arguably the best frontline in college basketball, as Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot will be joined by five-stars Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler. The key to this team is going to be on the wings, where Leaky Black, Anthony Harris, Puff Johnson, R.J. Davis and Andrew Platek will be asked to carry the load. If I had more confidence in that group the Tar Heels would be ranked in my top eight.”"

As Dauster states, the Tar Heels bring in one of the most talented freshman groups in the nation, including three 5-star players and four McDonald’s All-Americans. Led by top-10 recruit Caleb Love, the Tar Heels won’t have to worry about the departure of former star freshman point guard and leading scorer Cole Anthony. They’ll also have reinforcements in the front court, where returning starters Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot will be joined by sensational young bigs Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler.

And although the Tar Heels didn’t score the elite wing on the recruiting trail that they were hoping to, they did pull in a pair of 4-star shooters in Puff Johnson and Kerwin Walton. Another terrific shooter, R.J. Davis, will join Love in the back court. Whether or not he starts alongside Love is yet to be seen, but his ability to play either guard position will be invaluable for Roy Williams and the Tar Heels this season.

The Villanova Wildcats came in at No. 1 on the list, and they’re followed by Gonzaga and Baylor. Virginia and Michigan State are fourth and fifth, while Kansas, Duke and Iowa are ranked six through eight. Tennessee and Texas Tech round out the top 10.

Next. Update on UNC's Anthony Harris. dark

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