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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels crack first AP Top 25 poll of season

By Zack Pearson

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts at the start of the second half against the Lipscomb Bisons during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts at the start of the second half against the Lipscomb Bisons during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 16, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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The UNC Basketball program cracks the Top 25 in the first Associated Press poll released for the 2020-21 college basketball season.

It’s almost here. The countdown to the 2020-21 college basketball season continues and while we are still two weeks away, the excitement for the return of UNC Basketball is still here.

On Monday, the Associated Press released their first poll of the 2020-21 season as they dropped the preseason poll at Noon. As expected, the North Carolina Tar Heels are one of the Top 25 teams but are just barely outside of the Top 15.

UNC checked in at No. 16 in the first poll of the season with just two other Atlantic Coast Conference teams ahead of them. Gonzaga took the top spot followed by No. 2 Baylor,  No. 3 Villanova, No. 4 Virginia and No. 5 Iowa.  Kansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Duke and Kentucky round out the Top 10. In total, the ACC had four teams ranked in the first poll as Florida State checked in at No. 21.

The Tar Heels will travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in December.

The No. 16 ranking is down seven spots from last season’s first poll, where the Tar Heels came in at No. 9 in the preseason. But as we know, it was a rocky road for the Tar Heels as they struggled throughout the year and ended the season unranked.

Going into this year, there is a lot of hype surrounding this team as they welcome back key players Garrison Brooks, Armando Bacot, and Leaky Black while bringing in a Top 2 recruiting class filled with talent.

The Tar Heels will open up their 2020-21 season against College of Charleston on Wednesday, November 25th. The full schedule including their ACC slate will be released this week.

Next. UNC Basketball Player Preview: Kerwin Walton. dark

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