2025–26 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

2025–26 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 20
APNo. 16
Record20–5 (8–4 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDean E. Smith Center
2025–26 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 3 Duke 13 – 1   .929 24 – 2   .923
No. 14 Virginia 10 – 2   .833 22 – 3   .880
Miami (FL) 10 – 3   .769 21 – 5   .808
Clemson 10 – 3   .769 20 – 6   .769
NC State 10 – 4   .714 19 – 8   .704
No. 16 North Carolina 8 – 5   .615 20 – 6   .769
No. 21 Louisville 8 – 5   .615 19 – 7   .731
SMU 7 – 6   .538 18 – 8   .692
California 6 – 7   .462 18 – 8   .692
Florida State 6 – 7   .462 13 – 13   .500
Virginia Tech 6 – 8   .429 17 – 10   .630
Syracuse 6 – 8   .429 15 – 12   .556
Stanford 5 – 8   .385 16 – 10   .615
Wake Forest 4 – 8   .333 13 – 12   .520
Notre Dame 3 – 10   .231 12 – 14   .462
Georgia Tech 2 – 11   .154 11 – 15   .423
Boston College 2 – 11   .154 9 – 17   .346
Pittsburgh 2 – 11   .154 9 – 17   .346
† 2026 ACC tournament winner
As of February 17, 2026
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025–26 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team is led by coach Hubert Davis in his fifth season as UNC's head coach, and is assisted by Jeff Lebo, Sean May, and Brad Frederick. The Tar Heels play their home games at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Previous season

Main article: 2024–25 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

The Tar Heels finished the 2024–25 season with a 23–14 overall record, with a 13–7 mark in the ACC, tying for 4th in the league. The team faced many ups and downs, starting with a tough non-conference schedule facing teams like Kansas, Auburn, Michigan State, Alabama, and Florida. The Heels showed flashes when rallying from a 21‑point second‑half deficit to defeat Dayton in the Maui Invitational,[1] and overcame a 16-point hole vs. UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic.[2]

As the No. 5 seed in the ACC Tournament, they defeated Notre Dame in the second round, Wake Forest in the quarterfinals, and fell short in a comeback bid against Duke in the semifinals. UNC earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed in the South Region, starting their tournament in Dayton at the First Four. They routed San Diego State 95–68 to advance to the round of 64, but their run ended there with a 71–64 loss to Ole Miss.

Offseason

The Tar Heels lost virtually their entire core, including all five starters from the 2024–25 season. Among the most notable departures were veteran guard RJ Davis and forward Jae'Lyn Withers, both of whom graduated. Numerous players entered the transfer portal, including Elliot Cadeau, Ian Jackson, Jalen Washington, and Ven-Allen Lubin. Freshman Drake Powell decided to enter the 2025 NBA Draft. The only main rotation player that announced he would be returning was guard Seth Trimble.

UNC aggressively rebuilt its roster through the transfer portal, international signings, and high school recruits. The additions were led by several transfers, including 7-footer Henri Veesaar from Arizona, forward Jarin Stevenson from Alabama, and guard Kyan Evans from Colorado State. They also brought in wing shooter Jonathan Powell from West Virginia, and international guard Luka Bogavac from Montenegro. They also added incoming freshmen, most notably five-star forward Caleb Wilson, along with guards Derek Dixon and Isiah Denis.

Departures

North Carolina Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
R.J. Davis 4 G 6'0" 180 Graduate Student White Plains, New York Graduated
Jae'Lyn Withers 24 F 6'9" 220 Graduate Student Charlotte, North Carolina Graduated
Cade Tyson 5 G/F 6'7" 200 Junior Monroe, North Carolina Transferred to Minnesota[3]
Jalen Washington 13 F 6'10" 235 Junior Gary, Indiana Transferred to Vanderbilt[4]
Ven-Allen Lubin 22 F 6'8" 230 Junior Orlando, Florida Transferred to NC State[5]
Elliot Cadeau 3 G 6'1" 180 Sophomore West Orange, New Jersey Transferred to Michigan[6]
Drake Powell 9 G/F 6'6" 195 Freshman Pittsboro, North Carolina Declared for the 2025 NBA draft, selected 22nd overall by the Atlanta Hawks, traded to the Brooklyn Nets[7]
Ian Jackson 11 G 6'4" 190 Freshman The Bronx, New York Transferred to St. John's[8]

Additions

Incoming transfers

incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Kyan Evans 0 G 6'2" 175 Junior Kansas City, Missouri Colorado State[9]
Luka Bogavac 44 G 6'6" 215 Junior Mojkovac, Montenegro SC Derby[10]
Henri Veesaar 13 C 7'0" 225 Junior Tallinn, Estonia Arizona[11]
Jarin Stevenson 15 F 6'10" 215 Junior Chapel Hill, North Carolina Alabama[12]
Jaydon Young 4 G 6'4" 200 Junior Goldsboro, North Carolina Virginia Tech[13]
Jonathan Powell 11 G 6'6" 190 Sophomore Centerville, Ohio West Virginia[14]
Ivan Matlekovic 40 C 7'0" 255 Sophomore Sisak, Croatia High Point[15]

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Caleb Wilson
F 		Atlanta, Georgia Holy Innocents' Episcopal School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jan 24, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 5/5 stars   247Sports: 5/5 stars   ESPN: 5/5 stars   (96)
Derek Dixon
G 		Vienna, Virginia Gonzaga College High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 27, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 4/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (85)
Isaiah Denis
G 		Charlotte, North Carolina Davidson Day School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 2, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 4/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (85)
Overall recruit ranking:    247Sports: 7
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "North Carolina 2025 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  • "2025 North Carolina Tar Heels Recruiting Class". ESPN. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved October 13, 2025.

Roster

2025–26 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Kyan Evans 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Staley / Colorado State St. Louis, MO
F 1 Zayden High 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So AZ Compass Prep San Antonio, TX
F 2 James Brown 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Link Academy Aurora, IL
G 3 Derek Dixon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Gonzaga College HS Vienna, VA
G 4 Jaydon Young 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Greensboro Day / Virginia Tech Greensboro, NC
G 5 Isaiah Denis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Davidson Day Charlotte, NC
G 6 Elijah Davis (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Lynchburg Chapel Hill, NC
G 7 Seth Trimble 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Menomonee Falls Menomonee Falls, WI
F 8 Caleb Wilson Injured 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Holy Innocents Episcopal School Atlanta, GA
G 11 Jonathan Powell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Centerville / West Virginia Centerville, OH
C 13 Henri Veesaar 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Real Madrid / Arizona Tallinn, Estonia
F 15 Jarin Stevenson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Seaforth / Alabama Chapel Hill, NC
F 25 John Holbrook (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Hickory Hickory, NC
G 32 Evan Smith Jr. (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Ardrey Kell Charlotte, NC
C 40 Ivan Matlekovic 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) So HAKK Mladost / High Point Sisak, Croatia
G 44 Luka Bogavac 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr SC Derby Mojkovac, Montenegro
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 15, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2025*
9:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 25 vs. No. 8 BYU
The Bad Boy Mowers Series - Salt Lake City 		L 76–78  –
  22 – Wilson   10 – Wilson   5 – Evans  Delta Center (9,030)
Salt Lake City, UT
October 29, 2025*
7:30 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 25 Winston-Salem State W 95–53  –
  23 – Wilson   10 – Wilson   3 – High  Dean Smith Center (15,332)
Chapel Hill, NC
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 25 Central Arkansas W 94–54  1–0
  22 – Wilson   10 – Veesaar   5 – Tied  Dean Smith Center (16,079)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 7, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 25 No. 19 Kansas W 87–74  2–0
  24 – Wilson   8 – Trimble   4 – Tied  Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 11, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 18 Radford W 89–74  3–0
  19 – Bogavac   14 – Wilson   5 – Tied  Dean Smith Center (16,613)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 14, 2025*
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 18 North Carolina Central W 97–53  4–0
  21 – Wilson   13 – Wilson   7 – Evans  Dean Smith Center (17,522)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 18, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 18 Navy W 73–61  5–0
  23 – Wilson   12 – Wilson   6 – Evans  Dean Smith Center (16,869)
Chapel Hill, NC
November 25, 2025*
6:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 16 vs. St. Bonaventure
Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division 		W 85–70  6–0
  24 – Veesaar   13 – Veesaar   4 – Bogavac  Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500)
Fort Myers, FL
November 27, 2025*
4:30 p.m., FOX 		No. 16 vs. No. 11 Michigan State
Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division 		L 58–74  6–1
  18 – Wilson   7 – Tied   5 – Bogavac  Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500)
Fort Myers, FL
December 2, 2025*
9:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 16 at No. 18 Kentucky
ACC–SEC Challenge / Rivalry 		W 67–64  7–1
  17 – Veesaar   12 – Wilson   6 – Wilson  Rupp Arena (20,029)
Lexington, KY
December 7, 2025*
5:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 16 Georgetown W 81–61  8–1
  20 – Wilson   15 – Veesaar   4 – Evans  Dean Smith Center (18,583)
Chapel Hill, NC
December 13, 2025*
2:00 p.m., The CW 		No. 14 USC Upstate W 80–62  9–1
  20 – Wilson   11 – Wilson   5 – Tied  Dean Smith Center (17,759)
Chapel Hill, NC
December 16, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 12 East Tennessee State W 77–58  10–1
  26 – Veesaar   8 – Tied   6 – Evans  Dean Smith Center (16,548)
Chapel Hill, NC
December 20, 2025*
3:00 p.m., CBS 		No. 12 vs. Ohio State
CBS Sports Classic 		W 71–70  11–1
  20 – Wilson   15 – Wilson   5 – Veesaar  State Farm Arena (16,951)
Atlanta, GA
December 22, 2025*
8:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 12 East Carolina W 99–51  12–1
  21 – Wilson   12 – Wilson   5 – Trimble  Dean Smith Center (20,479)
Chapel Hill, NC
ACC Regular Season
December 30, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 12 Florida State W 79–66  13–1
(1–0) 		 22 – Wilson   16 – Wilson   6 – Wilson  Dean Smith Center (20,618)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 3, 2026
2:15 p.m., The CW 		No. 12 at SMU L 83–97  13–2
(1–1) 		 22 – Trimble   7 – Wilson   6 – Bogavac  Moody Coliseum (6,698)
University Park, TX
January 10, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 17 Wake Forest
Rivalry 		W 87–84  14–2
(2–1) 		 25 – Veesaar   12 – Wilson   4 – Tied  Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 14, 2026
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 14 at Stanford L 90–95  14–3
(2–2) 		 26 – Tied   9 – Wilson   2 – Tied  Maples Pavilion (5,369)
Stanford, CA
January 17, 2026
4:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 14 at California L 78–84  14–4
(2–3) 		 17 – Wilson   10 – Veesaar   4 – Tied  Haas Pavilion (8,077)
Berkeley, CA
January 21, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 22 Notre Dame W 91–69  15–4
(3–3) 		 22 – Wilson   12 – Veesaar   5 – Wilson  Dean Smith Center (19,686)
Chapel Hill, NC
January 24, 2026
12:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 22 at No. 14 Virginia W 85–80  16–4
(4–3) 		 20 – Wilson   7 – Powell   7 – Dixon  John Paul Jones Arena (14,637)
Charlottesville, VA
January 31, 2026
2:00 p.m., ACCN 		No. 16 at Georgia Tech W 91–75  17–4
(5–3) 		 22 – Wilson   12 – Veesaar   5 – Wilson  McCamish Pavilion (8,700)
Atlanta, GA
February 2, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 14 Syracuse W 87–77  18–4
(6–3) 		 22 – Wilson   11 – Veesaar   4 – Veesaar  Dean Smith Center (20,152)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 7, 2026
6:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 14 No. 4 Duke
Rivalry/College GameDay 		W 71–68  19–4
(7–3) 		 23 – Wilson   11 – Veesaar   4 – Dixon  Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 10, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 11 at Miami L 66–75  19–5
(7–4) 		 13 – Stevenson   6 – Tied   4 – Tied  Watsco Center (7,355)
Coral Gables, FL
February 14, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 11 Pittsburgh W 79–65  20–5
(8–4) 		 19 – Tied   7 – Tied   7 – Dixon  Dean Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 17, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 16 at NC State
Rivalry 		L 58–82  20–6
(8–5) 		 13 – High   10 – High   3 – Evans  Lenovo Center (19,367)
Raleigh, NC
February 21, 2026
1:00 p.m., ABC 		No. 16 at Syracuse       JMA Wireless Dome 
Syracuse, NY
February 23, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		Louisville       Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
February 28, 2026
TBD, ESPN or ESPN2 		Virginia Tech       Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
March 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU 		Clemson       Dean Smith Center 
Chapel Hill, NC
March 7, 2026
6:30 p.m., ESPN 		at Duke
Rivalry 		      Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

[16]

Rankings

See also: 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP25181816161412121217142216141116
Coaches25201917171513121217152418181320

References

  1. ^ Bowers, Matt (November 26, 2024). "Trimble & Davis Lead Big Comeback Win Over Dayton, 92-90". goheels.com. Go Heels. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  2. ^ Bowers, Matt (December 21, 2024). "Defense, Jackson Lead Big Comeback Win Over UCLA, 76-74". goheels.com. Go Heels. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  3. ^ "Minnesota Basketball Recruiting: Former North Carolina Mr. Basketball, Cade Tyson commits to Gophers". The Daily Gopher. June 2, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  4. ^ Rutman, Aiden (April 4, 2025). "Men's Basketball: Vanderbilt lands Mason Nicholson, Jalen Washington in transfer portal". The Vanderbilt Hustler. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  5. ^ Gribble, Charlie (June 1, 2025). "NC State lands North Carolina transfer forward Ven-Allen Lubin". PackPride. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  6. ^ London, Dushawn (March 31, 2025). "UNC transfer PG Elliot Cadeau commits to Michigan". 247sports. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  7. ^ D'Aguanno, Brian (June 25, 2025). "UNC men's basketball forward Drake Powell selected 22nd overall to the Brooklyn Nets in the 2025 NBA Draft". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  8. ^ Norlander, Matt (April 21, 2025). "Ian Jackson transfers to St. John's: Rick Pitino lands UNC guard who was 5-star prospect in high school". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  9. ^ McMillan, Sherrell (April 9, 2025). "Colorado State Transfer Guard Kyan Evans Chooses North Carolina". Inside Carolina. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  10. ^ D'Aguanno, Brian (May 31, 2025). "UNC men's basketball lands commitment from Montenegrin wing Luka Bogavac". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  11. ^ McMillan, Sherrell (April 4, 2025). "Tar Heels Get Their Big Man; Arizona Transfer Center Henri Veesaar Commits to UNC". Inside Carolina. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  12. ^ Koh, Michael (April 13, 2025). "Alabama Transfer Jarin Stevenson Commits to UNC Men's Basketball". ChapelBoro.com. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  13. ^ Pearson, Zack (April 25, 2025). "UNC basketball lands commitment from guard in transfer portal". Tar Heels Wire. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  14. ^ Wills, Caroline (April 1, 2025). "Former West Virginia guard Jonathan Powell commits to UNC men's basketball". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  15. ^ Pearson, Zack (August 1, 2025). "UNC basketball adds another piece to roster from transfer portal". Tar Heels Wire. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  16. ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". North Carolina Sports. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
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