UNC basketball still ranked second in CBS Sports’ Top 25 and 1

Will RJ Davis and Harrison Ingram return to Chapel Hill?

With the transfer portal in full swing, it’s hard to tell who will be amongst college basketball’s elite next year.

It’s easy to say that UConn is the favorite to win again, which would mark the first 3-peat in college basketball history, but the Huskies lose future NBA Draft selections Tristen Newton and Donovan Clingan.

One team that could be really good next season – but is also awaiting decisions from star players – the North Carolina Tar Heels.

UNC’s biggest question marks surround Harrison Ingram and leading scorer RJ Davis, who can either declare for the NBA Draft or choose to return for one last season. Both enjoyed extremely productive campaigns, highlighted by RJ being ACC Player of the Year, but they could spurn high draft stock for additional chances to don Carolina Blue and NIL money.

In Gary Parrish’s latest CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 rankings, North Carolina slides in at second behind Houston.

“This ranking is based on Hubert Davis’ Tar Heels returning three of the top five scorers – specifically RJ Davis, Harrison Ingram and Elliot Cadeau– from a team that won the ACC and secured a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament,” Parrish wrote. “UNC is also adding a top-10 recruiting class highlighted by five-star prospects Ian Jackson and Drake Powell that should give the program a chance to make a 22nd appearance in the Final Four.”

Even if Davis and Ingram don’t return, the Tar Heels will likely nab a top transfer (of two) to bolster their roster. Early signs have pointed to UNC being in the running for former Belmont forward Cade Tyson and Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi.

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Tar Heels climb two spots in CBS Sports’ latest Top 25 and 1

A 6-game winning streak, ACC Regular Season title and sweep of Duke have the UNC men’s basketball team on an emotional high right now.

If you’re a UNC basketball player, coach or fan, there is no better time to be alive than right now.

The Tar Heels (25-6, 17-3) are one of the game’s hottest teams right now with six consecutive wins. North Carolina’s most recent win, which came on Saturday at archrival Duke, helped it sweep the season series and clinch its first outright ACC Regular Season Championship since 2016.

After an inconsistent stretch, which saw UNC lose on three consecutive Tuesdays, the Tar Heels appear to be rounding into NCAA Tournament form. The Big Dance is a reset button, providing the coldest of teams a fresh start, but you’d rather be playing your best basketball when the Round of 64 tips off.

In CBS Sports’ latest Top 25 and 1, Gary Parrish moved North Carolina up two spots to fourth.

UNC is sandwiched between Houston (third) – one of the few teams playing arguably better basketball than UNC – and Tennessee, who the Tar Heels dropped 100 points on during a late-November 2023 win.

North Carolina, Houston, UConn (second) and Purdue (first) all earned the top seeds in their respective conference tournaments. UNC will try for its first ACC Tournament title since 2016, when it beat UVA behind Joel Berry II’s MVP honors, starting with a 12 p.m. ET tip on Thursday.

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