It's safe to say that UNC basketball fans everywhere continue to wait and see how things are going to go down for Dylan Mingo. One of the top talents in the country for the 2026 class, the 5-star standout has UNC among his finalists and Hubert Davis is in a good spot to potentially land him.
Hubert Davis is far from satisfied with UNC basketball ahead of conference play
The fanbase simply can't take much more recruiting heartbreak, especially with point guard Deron Rippey Jr. off the board. While the Tar Heels didn't make the final cut for him, things were made worse for Davis there with Rippey just announcing for Duke. No, it's not a surprise he's not UNC-bound, but if anything, it adds more pressure for the Heels to do whatever is needed to get Mingo on board.
Deron Rippey Jr. committing to Duke adds more Dylan Mingo pressure for UNC basketball
In late November, Mingo revealed that he was down to North Carolina, Washington, Baylor and Penn State. However, the most recent buzz is that this is a dance between UNC and the Nittany Lions, as Mingo's older brother suits up for Penn State.
Normally, Davis and the Heels would have no problem taking down Penn State for a top target, but the family connection will play a major impact on things. Thus far, Davis has been able to land 5-star Maximo Adams for the '26 haul, which was a major get.
Adams is ranked the No. 12 SF in the country per the 247Sports Composite. However, Davis and UNC have missed out on multiple other top targets for the '26 cycle, which has been disappointing. Not reeling in Rippey wasn't a shocker, but him going to Duke won't make anyone in Chapel Hill happy.
With all of that said, everyone will be able to forget all about that if Mingo makes everyone happy by giving the Heels his pledge. There's no exact date for when he'll be shutting things down, but the expectation is an announcement will come soon. Will good news be on the way for the Heels here? We certainly hope so.