College basketball is already starting to sort itself out, and the first AP Top 25 of the season has given us an early snapshot of who’s making noise and who’s still trying to find their footing. For North Carolina, the opening week brought a mixed bag: the men are still on the outside looking in, while the women took an early hit but remained ranked.
On the men’s side, Florida sits at No. 1 with 53 first-place votes, followed by Duke at No. 2.
The rest of the top five goes Illinois, UConn, and Michigan State. Virginia checks in at No. 6, with Texas, Houston, UCLA, and Louisville rounding out the top 10.
The full men’s poll has Tennessee at No. 11, Arizona at No.
12, St. John’s at No.
13, Gonzaga at No. 14, Kansas at No.
15, Texas Tech at No. 16, Miami (FL) at No.
17, Alabama at No. 18, Arkansas at No.
19, Michigan at No. 20, USC at No.
21, Vanderbilt at No. 22, BYU at No.
23, Kentucky at No. 24, and Nebraska at No. 25.
UNC’s 2-0 start wasn’t enough to crack the rankings. The Tar Heels turned in one uneven showing against Western Carolina and a stronger one against Wofford, and while that didn’t push them into the poll, the gap between UNC and No. 25 has narrowed compared with the preseason.
The biggest climb on the men’s side belonged to UCLA. The Bruins knocked off then-No.
5 Arizona in a former Pac-12 matchup and jumped from No. 22 to No. 9, one of the early statement wins of the season. Arizona took a seven-spot tumble after the loss, while Arkansas also slid seven places after being blown out by Virginia.
Iowa State took the hardest fall of all, dropping from No. 18 to unranked after a loss to Memphis.
This week’s men’s schedule brings a few heavyweight matchups right away. No.
5 Michigan State meets No. 2 Duke in Chicago tonight at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN.
No. 3 Illinois faces No.
16 Texas Tech tonight at 8:00 PM ET on Peacock. Then No.
15 Kansas takes on No. 24 Kentucky in Chicago tonight at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN.
The women’s poll tells a different UNC story, though not a happier one. South Carolina leads the way with 32 first-place votes, with Michigan at No. 2 and USC at No. 3 after receiving one first-place vote.
UConn is No. 4, Duke No.
5, Texas No. 6, Louisville No.
7, Vanderbilt No. 8, LSU No. 9, and Iowa and UCLA tied at No. 10, listed alphabetically.
The rest of the women’s top 25 includes Kentucky, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, TCU, Washington, Ohio State, Minnesota, Maryland, Oklahoma State tied with Maryland at No. 19, Ole Miss, Illinois, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Nebraska.
UNC opened with a rough stretch, taking on Oklahoma and preseason national title favorite South Carolina. The young Tar Heels lost both games and dropped 11 spots, but they stayed in the rankings at No. 23.
Oklahoma posted the biggest rise of the week, helped by its win over North Carolina. Michigan also moved up, climbing to No. 2 after beating UConn.
On the other end, UNC had the biggest fall in the poll. NC State was the only team to fall out, sliding from No. 25 to the unofficial No.
The women’s conference breakdown has the Big Ten leading with 10 ranked teams, followed by the SEC with 7, the ACC with 4, the Big 12 with 3, and the Big East with 1.
This week’s marquee women’s games include No. 3 USC at No.
1 South Carolina on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET on ABC, No. 8 Vanderbilt against No.
10 Iowa in Sioux City, IA, also Sunday at 1:00 PM ET on FS1, and No. 4 UConn at No.
7 Louisville on Sunday at 5:30 PM ET on ESPN.
In Other News...
Belichick May Be Getting A New In-State Rival Tar Heels Fans Know Well
NC State is expected to hire Philip Rivers as its next head football coach, pending approval from the universitys trustees, a move that would instantly add a familiar name to the in-state rivalry. Rivers, an NC State alum and former NFL quarterback, has spent the past few years coaching at the high school level since 2021, and his jump to the college sideline would bring a very different kind of spotlight to Raleigh.
For North Carolina, the development matters beyond the usual border-state bragging rights because Bill Belichick knows Rivers well from their NFL meetings. Belichick has already weighed in on Rivers competitiveness, which only adds to the intrigue if the hire becomes official and the rivalry gets a new face with a long football rsum behind it. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Has A Real Chance To Clinch Something At Louisville
North Carolina heads to Louisville with a straightforward goal in front of it: get one more win and become bowl-eligible. After the Tar Heels handled UConn, the program has a little momentum and a clearer sense of identity under Bill Belichick in his second season, with the discipline on both sides of the ball looking more settled than it did earlier in the year.
Billy Edwards Jr. has been a big part of that push, coming off a strong outing against UConn with 255 passing yards and three touchdowns. Now the challenge gets a little tougher on the road, where UNC can turn a solid midseason stretch into something more meaningful if it can finish the job at Louisville. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Defense Just Lost A Key Piece At The Worst Time
North Carolinas defense took a tough hit during its game against Syracuse, when linebacker Jonathan Agumadu suffered a lower-body injury that will keep him out for the rest of the 2026 season. Agumadu had become a significant part of the Tar Heels defensive rotation, so his absence leaves a noticeable void in the middle of the unit at a point when depth matters most.
Timir Hickman-Collins is among the linebackers expected to help absorb the workload from here, and UNC will need others to step forward quickly as it tries to steady the defense without one of its more reliable contributors. Injuries are part of the season, but losing a player like Agumadu now forces the Tar Heels to adjust on the fly and reshuffle a position group that had been counting on his presence. [Read more 🡒]