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

The Tar Heels began the season ranked twenty-fifth in the AP poll and won their first five games in a row. The highlight of the winning streak was a 87–74 victory over nineteenth-ranked Kansas. The team then traveled to Fort Myers, Florida to participate in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. They extended their winning streak to six games with a defeat of St. Bonaventure, but it ended there with a loss to eleventh-ranked Michigan State. The Tar Heels rose to sixteenth in the AP poll over the streak. The team defeated rivals, eighteenth-ranked Kentucky after the loss in the ACC–SEC Challenge. They went on to win their remaining five non-conference games to finish non-conference play with a record of 12–1 and ranked twelfth. They only faced one further Power-4 opponent over this run, Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic. The Tar Heels began conference play on a 2–3 run which saw them fall to twenty-second in the AP poll. They defeated Florida State to start ACC play and rivals Wake Forest over the stretch but lost road games against SMU, Stanford, and California. The team turned it around and went 5–0 in their next five games. They defeated fourteenth-ranked Virginia on the road and fourth-ranked rivals Duke to rise to eleventh in the rankings. They went 3–2 over their next five games, losing at Miami and at rivals NC State. They defeated twenty-fourth ranked Louisville by three points during this stretch. They finished the season by defeating Virginia Tech and Clemson but losing to top-ranked Duke on the final day of the regular season.

The Tar Heels finished the season 24–9 overall and 12–6 in ACC play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the fourth seed in the 2026 ACC tournament, they earned a double-bye into the Quarterfinals where they were defeated Clemson by a point. The team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and were the six-seed in the South region. They were upset by eleven-seed VCU in overtime in the First Round after being up by as many as nineteen points in the second half. After the loss, head coach Hubert Davis was fired.

Previous season

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, and overcame a 16-point hole vs. UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic.

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

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

Recruiting class

Roster

Schedule and results

!colspan=12 style=""| Exhibition

!colspan=12 style=""| Non-conference regular season

!colspan=12 style=""| ACC Regular Season

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Rankings

References