College Basketball Preseason Rankings: No. 22 North Carolina Tar Heels

Top-25 College Basketball: North Carolina Projected Roster & Outlook

In this series, we'll be taking a closer look at RotoWire's preseason college basketball top-25, with an in-depth roster analysis and projected rotation for the 2025-26 season for each team. Today's feature will be the North Carolina Tar Heels.

For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, roles and overall player performance, head to RotoWire's latest college basketball news page or follow @RotoWireCBB on X.

22. North Carolina

The heat is on Hubert Davis this season to deliver. He was very fortunate that it was not a second missed NCAA Tournament in three years last season. It was a big adjustment for this team to play without a reliable big man option after Armando Bacot was there for five years. 

The 2025-26 campaign will be another adjustment without a reliable scoring threat in the backcourt with R.J. Davis gone. The good news is that coach Davis and his staff brought in one of the best combined freshman and transfer classes in the country. 

The Tar Heels have also solved their center issue, bringing in Henri Veesaar from Arizona, where he had an excellent second half of the season. Veesaar is a player I think has a lot of upside and could be one of the biggest surprises in the country. 

UNC also added Jarin Stevenson as a 6-11 floor stretcher, as well as a 5-star recruit in Caleb Wilson who will greatly improve the interior defense, which really lacked a season ago. 

With Elliot Cadeau also moving on to Michigan, Kyan Evans from Colorado State will run the show. Evans has a great feel for the game and averaged 13.6 PPG, 3.2 APG and 2.7 3PM on 50.7 percent shooting from deep over the final 13 games last season. 

Seth Trimble saw a big jump in production as a junior, and UNC will need him to take on a leadership role going into his senior campaign with a lot of new pieces coming in. 

Jonathan Powell is likely to take the final starting spot after a solid freshman campaign with West Virginia in which he impressed with his outside shooting. 

Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis are both top-60 recruits who will provide an excellent scoring punch off the bench, and could even potentially start down the line. 

There's a lot of really talented players here for coach Davis to work with -- it's really just a question of who is going to step up and be that alpha he can rely on in close games. 

Check out how injuries are affecting the status of other players & teams on RotoWire's college basketball injury report.

2025-26 Oregon Basketball Projected Starting Lineup:

PG: Kyan Evans (10.6 PPG, 3.1 APG, 1.9 3PM at Colorado State)

SG: Seth Trimble (11.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.4 SPG)

SF: Jonathan Powell (8.3 PPG, 2.0 3PM at West Virginia)

PF: Caleb Wilson (No. 5 in ESPN 100)

C: Henri Veesaar (9.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG at Arizona)

Key Reserves: Ven-Allen Lubin (8.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG), Jarin Stevenson (5.4 PPG at Alabama), Jaydon Young (8.1 PPG, 1.4 3PM at Virginia Tech), Derek Dixon (No. 54 in ESPN 100), Isaiah Denis (No. 59 in ESPN 100)

Following another active transfer portal period, RotoWire's college basketball depth charts are updated with the latest in roster movement.

2025-26 Full Preseason College Basketball Top-25

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22. North Carolina Tar Heels
23. Oregon Ducks
24. Illinois Fighting Illini
25. Wisconsin Badgers