The world has turned and left us here. With the North Carolina Tar Heels shocking the combined basketball world, college and pro, by hiring former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone to lead them, people are still trying to figure out what this means to UNC hoops long term. The guy can coach, but he has very little experience in the college game. How does that impact UNC's standing?
With the Final Four finally over, here is how ESPN's Jeff Borzello sees it in his way-too-early top 25.
- Michigan Wolverines
- Duke Blue Devils
- Florida Gators
- UConn Huskies
- Arizona Wildcats
- Michigan State Spartans
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Houston Cougars
- St. John's Red Storm
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Texas Longhorns
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Saint Louis Billikens
- TCU Horned Frogs
- USC Trojans
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- BYU Cougars
- Missouri Tigers
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- Iowa Hawkeyes
And for a bit more clarity, here are the next five teams who did not make the cut in Borzello's top 25...
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Miami Hurricanes
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Maryland Terrapins
As you can see, North Carolina does find itself inside the top 25, but only at No. 19... Keep in mind that last year's team was a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, so this somewhat checks out. That being said, there is still way too much uncertainty surrounding the program to justify Borzello having UNC slotted any higher than No. 19. Clearly he believes UNC will be good, but to what degree, not so sure...
Let's now unpack what would be a great first season for Malone at the helm of the Tar Heels program.
UNC seen as the No. 19 team heading into 2026-27 under Michael Malone
Let's be real. This team has not earned anything yet. Its projection is based entirely on UNC's rich basketball history, Malone's coaching chops in the NBA, and to some degree, who will be part of next year's team. With the transfer portal opening up, these rankings will move up and down accordingly. It is about to be a wild next two weeks, so get ready for an incredibly bumpy ride across college hoops.
At this time, a great first year under Malone at UNC should consist of 20-plus regular-season wins, a winning record during ACC play, and a top-half seed in the NCAA Tournament, with a decent shot of advancing into the second weekend. In short, a great first year under Malone will show no drop-off from what it was like under Hubert Davis. It usually gets worse before it gets better, but not for UNC...
Whenever a traditional power hires the right head coach, it usually presents itself midway through year two. That is definitely the case in football, and typically the case in basketball. Anything beyond UNC being a Sweet 16 at the end of year two in 2027-28 should be seen as gravy, folks. This is the direction North Carolina wanted to go in. We need to give Malone patience to find his footing at UNC.
For now, North Carolina fans have to accept that next season is going to be different under Malone.