North Carolina women’s basketball will open the 2026-27 season with a familiar label attached to it: third in the ACC preseason poll.
The Tar Heels landed there again as the league released its preseason awards and predictions, with Duke picked to finish first, Louisville second and North Carolina third. Notre Dame checked in fourth, followed by NC State, Virginia, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. Clemson, California, Miami, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Florida State, SMU, Wake Forest, Pitt and Boston College rounded out the list.
Carolina also had one of its biggest offseason additions get recognized before a game has been played. Kate Harpring earned a spot on the Preseason All-Freshman Team after collecting 493 votes, the most of any newcomer on the list voted on by the league’s head coaches and Blue Ribbon Panel.
Harpring arrives with plenty of résumé weight. The Georgia guard was named the 2026 Jersey Mike's Girls' High School Player of the Year, ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2026 by 247Sports, and was selected as the 2026 Georgia Girls Gatorade Player of the Year and a 2026 McDonald's All-American.
She becomes the sixth signee with the Golden Arches honors under head coach Courtney Banghart. Harpring also finished as Georgia’s all-time leading scorer with 3,435 career points and led Marist School to back-to-back 4A State Titles.
That honor keeps a recent trend alive for the Tar Heels, who have now placed a freshman on the ACC preseason all-freshman team in back-to-back seasons after Nyla Brooks was recognized a year ago.
The preseason projection comes after Carolina finished third last season, piling up 14 wins to tie for the second-most in a season in program history before advancing to its second straight Sweet 16 and third in the last five years.
Banghart’s group will bring back eight Tar Heels, with Ciera Toomey leading the returning group in scoring and rebounding after averaging 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season. Carolina also added four Power 4 transfers and two top 100 recruits, giving the roster a deeper look heading into the new year.
Fans won’t have to wait long to see this team in action. Carolina’s lone home exhibition is set for Sunday, Oct. 18, when Davidson visits Carmichael Arena at 1 p.m.
ET. Admission is free, and the game will not be televised, but it will be available on the Tar Heel Sports Network and WCHL 97.9/1360.
The regular season begins overseas, with North Carolina heading to Paris, France, to face Oklahoma on Monday, Nov. 2 in the 2026 Oui Play. That game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Season tickets for 2026-27 are still available.
In Other News...
UNC Opens Duke Week With A Roster Concern Fans Will Watch
Duke week opened with an early reminder that the injury report can shape the rivalry long before kickoff. The Atlantic Coast Conference released its initial availability report for the weekend slate, and North Carolina showed up with several names to monitor, including Kaleb Cost, Greg Smith, Isaiah Johnson, Jordan Hall and Jordan Washington, all listed either doubtful or questionable.
Duke also has a notable concern of its own, with star running back Nate Sheppard listed as questionable, but the focus in Chapel Hill will be on how UNCs report evolves from here. The ACC will update the injury list daily leading into game day, which means this matchup could look different by the time the teams finally meet. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Heads To Duke With A Defensive Problem It Can't Hide
North Carolina heads to Duke still trying to make sense of a defense that has too often put the offense back on the field. The Tar Heels have struggled on third down, and the issues have only grown more complicated with injuries thinning out the secondary. Against a Duke team that wants to lean on the ground game, UNC is walking into a matchup that will test both its communication and its ability to stay in control of long drives.
Nate Sheppard gives Duke a rushing threat that can expose missed assignments and worn-down personnel, which puts even more pressure on North Carolina to clean up the details. The Tar Heels do not just need better tackling, they need better timing, better down-and-distance situations and a defense that can survive without being stretched snap after snap. If UNC cannot solve those problems quickly, the Blue Devils have a clear path to make this rivalry tilt in their favor. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Fans Finally Get The Kenan Stadium Atmosphere They Wanted
For Tar Heels fans who have been waiting for a true night-game feel at Kenan Stadium, the ACC finally delivered one. North Carolinas Oct. 24 matchup with Syracuse will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network, giving UNC its first Saturday night home game of the season and adding a little extra juice to a stretch that already carries plenty of weight.
The timing matters, too, with UNC sitting 3-2 overall and 1-1 in ACC play as it heads into a run that includes Duke, Syracuse and Miami. The Syracuse game will also be labeled Family Football Day, but the bigger draw may be the atmosphere itself, with Tar Heels supporters finally getting the kind of prime-time setting they have been hoping to see in Chapel Hill. [Read more 🡒]