UNC basketball continues to rise in the national polls, but the Tar Heels took a dip in the NET rankings.
UNC (9-1) is No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, which was released on Monday, Dec. 15.
The Tar Heels, who moved up from No. 15 in the coaches poll, closing exam week with an 18-point victory against USC Upstate. That margin hurts the Heels in the NET rankings, but they’ll have two games this week to improve their position. East Tennessee State (8-3) comes to the Smith Center on Tuesday, Dec. 16 (8 p.m., ACC Network), before UNC plays Ohio State (8-2) on Saturday, Dec. 20 (3:30 p.m., CBS), at the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta.
Freshman forward Caleb Wilson (19.4 points per game, 10.6 rebounds per game) and junior center Henri Veesaar (16 ppg, 9.2 rbg) continue to power the Tar Heels from the post. International prospect Luka Bogavac (12.5 ppg) has been UNC’s top scorer on the perimeter with senior guard Seth Trimble sidelined because of an injury. Trimble is no longer wearing a brace and is expected to start full-contact, 5-on-5 practice soon.
No. 3 Duke (10-0), No. 11 Louisville (9-1) and No. 22 Virginia (9-1) are the other ACC teams in the coaches poll. Michigan (10-0) remains the No. 1 team in the nation, followed by No. 2 Arizona (9-0).
College basketball rankings, Dec. 15
Here’s a look at UNC basketball’s rankings across several polls and analytics sites as of Monday, Dec. 15, 2025.
USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball poll
The USA TODAY Sports Top 25 men’s basketball poll is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. First-place votes in parentheses.
1. Michigan (16)
2. Arizona (14)
3. Duke (1)
4. Iowa State
5. UConn
6. Purdue
7. Gonzaga
8. Houston
9. Michigan State
10. BYU
11. Louisville
12. Vandy
13. UNC
14. Arkansas
15. Nebraska
16. Alabama
17. Kansas
18. Illinois
19. Texas Tech
20. St. John’s
21. Florida
22. Virginia
23. Tennessee
24. Auburn
25. Iowa
UNC basketball ranking in AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll
UNC moved up to No. 12 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Tar Heels started the season at No. 25. No. 3 Duke, No. 11 Louisville and No. 23 Virginia are the other teams included in the AP poll.
UNC basketball NET ranking
The Tar Heels are currently 20th in the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings. Through 10 games, UNC has a 2-1 record in Quadrant 1 games – with wins against Kansas at home and at Kentucky, and a loss against Michigan State at a neutral site – and a 7-0 record in Quadrants 2-4. An 18-point win against USC Upstate, which was a Q4 game, dropped UNC from a top-15 ranking to No. 20. Breaking down the quadrant system, home games against teams ranked from No. 1-30, neutral-site games against teams ranked No. 1-50 and away games against opponents ranked No. 1-75 are considered Q1 chances.
UNC basketball ranking on KenPom, Bart Torvik, EvanMiya analytics sites
Here’s a look at the Tar Heels’ rankings on analytics sites, including KenPom, Bart Torvik, EvanMiya and Haslametrics as of Dec. 15. UNC is 27th in KenPom, 24th in EvanMiya, 24th on Torvik’s T-Rank and 25th in Haslametrics.
