# BREAKING: UNC Tar Heels Vault to No. 12 in Latest AP Top 25 – Highest Ranking of the 2025-26 Season So Far!
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The North Carolina Tar Heels are soaring. On November 24, 2025, the Associated Press released its Week 4 men’s college basketball poll, and Hubert Davis’ squad skyrocketed eight spots to **No. 12** — marking the highest ranking UNC has achieved this season and sending Carolina Nation into a frenzy. The leap comes on the heels of a perfect 6-0 start, capped by a commanding 92-78 victory over No. 22 Michigan State in the championship game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Wednesday night, followed by a dominant 105-66 rout of American University on Sunday afternoon.
“This is what we expected from ourselves,” Davis said post-game Sunday, his team fresh off dropping 105 points on efficient 58 percent shooting. “We’re playing with joy, with toughness, and with each other. The ranking is nice recognition, but we’re just getting started.”
The Tar Heels’ ascent is no fluke. After opening the preseason at No. 25 — their lowest preseason mark in two decades — UNC has climbed steadily:
– Preseason: No. 25
– Week 1: Unranked briefly in some projections, but held steady
– Week 2 (post-Kansas win): Jumped to No. 18
– Week 3 (post-blowouts over Radford and NC Central): Held at No. 18
– Week 4: Exploded to **No. 12** after neutral-site dominance
The eight-spot surge ties Louisville and Gonzaga for the biggest rise in this week’s poll, while several teams ahead of UNC stumbled. Alabama tumbled after a shocking home loss to unranked Vanderbilt, Kentucky continued its slide with a bad defeat to unranked Ohio State, and Texas Tech fell hard after blowing a late lead to Arkansas. Those upsets created the perfect storm for Carolina to pounce.
The signature moment came Wednesday in Fort Myers, where UNC dismantled Michigan State — a preseason top-25 team with Final Four aspirations — behind a balanced attack that saw five Tar Heels score in double figures. Freshman sensation Caleb Wilson earned tournament MVP honors with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar added 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and controlled the paint with 4 blocks. Seth Trimble, fully healthy after missing time earlier, locked down MSU’s backcourt and contributed 18 points, 7 assists, and zero turnovers.
“That was the most complete game we’ve played all year,” Trimble said. “We guarded at an elite level in the second half — they scored just 28 points after halftime — and shared the ball on offense. When we do that, we’re tough to beat.”
Sunday’s blowout over American only reinforced the message. UNC led by 30 at halftime, rested its starters for most of the second half, and still hit the century mark. Reserve big man Jalen Washington poured in a career-high 19 points in 18 minutes, and guard Luka Bogavac dished 10 assists without a turnover. The Heels finished with 28 assists on 40 made field goals and forced 22 turnovers.
Statistically, North Carolina now ranks top-10 nationally in multiple categories: No. 4 in adjusted offensive efficiency (KenPom), No. 8 in points per game (92.8), No. 6 in rebound margin (+14.2), and No. 12 in defensive efficiency — a massive improvement from last season’s middling numbers.
The turnaround from 2024-25’s disappointment cannot be overstated. Last year’s team — coming off a preseason No. 9 ranking — collapsed to a first-round NCAA exit as an 11-seed and finished outside the top 50 in many metrics. Critics pointed to poor roster fit, inconsistent defense, and an over-reliance on R.J. Davis (now in the NBA). Hubert Davis responded by completely remaking the frontcourt: adding five-star freshman Caleb Wilson (No. 3 recruit), Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar (7-1 stretch big), and depth pieces like Ven Allen-Lubin and Jalen Washington.
The result? A team that plays fast, spaces the floor, and dominates the glass. Wilson has lived up to every bit of the hype, averaging 21.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists through six games — numbers that have analysts already projecting him as a top-5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Veesaar, after an injury-plagued Arizona tenure, looks reborn in Carolina blue, shooting 62 percent from the floor and stretching defenses with his three-point range.
“This group trusts each other,” Davis emphasized. “Last year we had talent, but we didn’t always play connected. These guys genuinely like each other and compete for each other.”
The new ranking vaults UNC past ACC rivals Louisville (No. 14) and puts them just behind Duke at No. 5. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels meet twice this season — February 7 in Chapel Hill and March 7 in Durham — games that now loom even larger with both programs firmly in the national title conversation.
Next up is a monster test: No. 9 Kentucky on December 2 in the ACC/SEC Challenge in Rupp Arena. A win there could push Carolina into the top 10 for the first time since early 2023 and further silence any remaining doubters.
For a fanbase that endured last year’s heartbreak, No. 12 feels like vindication. Carolina HQ — the popular YouTube channel that boldly predicted this resurgence all offseason — summed it up perfectly in their instant reaction video: “We told y’all! This isn’t last year’s team. This is a squad built to cut down nets.”
As the calendar flips toward December, one thing is clear: the Tar Heels are back among the elite, and they’re climbing faster than anyone anticipated. With Wilson and Veesaar leading a deep, versatile roster, No. 12 might not be the peak — it might just be the beginning.
Current AP Top 25 (November 24, 2025 – selected teams):
1. Purdue
2. Houston
3. UConn
4. Arizona
5. Duke
…
12. **North Carolina** (6-0)
14. Louisville
17. Kentucky
19. Michigan State
22. Alabama
Go Heels.
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