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UNC Basketball: Where Tar Heels land in latest Way-Too-Early Top 25

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 27: Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after making a three-point basket against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at the Dean Smith Center on February 27, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 78-70. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 27: Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after making a three-point basket against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at the Dean Smith Center on February 27, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 78-70. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Where does the UNC basketball program stand in ESPN’s latest Way-Too-Early Top 25?

ESPN has released its latest Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2021-22 college basketball season, and the North Carolina Tar Heels came in at No. 17 on the list. That’s one spot south of where they were in the list’s previous iteration, but the same can be said about every single team ranked eighth through 16th.

That’s because the previously unranked Memphis Tigers, who added a pair of the nation’s top recruits in third-ranked Emoni Bates and seventh-ranked Jalen Duren, came in at No. 7. And while their jump from unranked to near-top five status is a bit unusual, it seems warranted. On paper, Penny Hardaway’s squad is one of the most talented in the nation.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are still on top of the list thanks to returning starters Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard, along with three top 25 newcomers led by No. 1-ranked Chet Holmgren. The Kansas Jayhawks return a handful of players from last season’s 21-win team, and come in at No. 2. They’re followed by last year’s surprise Final Four participant UCLA, and Villanova at No. 4. The Texas Longhorns, who were among the most active programs on the NCAA transfer market this offseason, are ranked fifth.

The Tar Heels are the second-highest ACC team on the list behind the Duke Blue Devils at No. 11. North Carolina returns junior center Armando Bacot, and a talented group of sophomore guards led by probable starters Caleb Love and Kerwin Walton. First-year head coach Hubert Davis also welcomes in a trio of big-time transfers in Dawson Garcia, Brady Manek and Justin McKoy. They’ll look to run a more fluid, efficient offense this season behind a thinned-out painted area and improved long-distance shooters.

The Tar Heels will begin their season with a game against Loyola at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on November 9.

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