UNC Women's Basketball among 6 ACC teams ranked in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25

ESPN released it's Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the upcoming 2024-2025 women's college basketball season as the Atlantic Coast Conference is well-represented.

Six ACC schools cracked the top 25 with each program being ranked inside the top 20. Courtney Banghart and the UNC women's basketball program are one of the ACC schools included as they come in at No. 13 in the rankings.

With some key returners and some promising new faces, the expectations are once again high for this group. Led by the trio of Alyssa Ustby, Lexi Donarski and Maria Gakdeng, this year's team looks to bounce back from a disappointing end to the 2023-2024 season.

Given that injuries were a major concern a season ago, the hope is that this group can stay healthy.

If healthy, this roster features a ton of talent, especially among the newcomers of the group. Grace Townsend and Trayanna Crisp were brought in as transfers to provide some stability for the backcourt while true freshmen Blanca Thomas and Jordan Zubich, along with re-classified freshman Lanie Grant, hope to make an impact right away.

It will be very interesting to see this group in action this upcoming season. Courtney Banghart and her staff have reloaded the roster in an effort to take the next step, as the goal is to make a deep run come NCAA Tournament time.