UNC basketball lands in Rothstein’s 45 for beginning of season

In just a few days, the North Carolina Tar Heels will tip off their 2024-25 season as they will host Elon in the Dean Dome on Monday night. It’s expected to be another season with high expectations as they are coming off a disappointing exit in the Sweet 16.

UNC does return some key players from that team a year ago including RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble. But they also lose their best player in the frontcourt with Armando Bacot and a key wing in Harrison Ingram.

As we get set for the new season, college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein has released his “Rothstein 45” ranking the 45 best teams in the country for the upcoming season. Not only did UNC crack the Top 10 but they checked in at No. 7 overall.

Here is what Rothstein had to say about UNC:

The Tar Heels are ahead of notable teams like Duke (No. 10), Auburn (No. 12), and Arizona (No. 14). They are the highest-ranked team in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the season.

There aren’t many rankings that have North Carolina ahead of Duke going into this season. So to see an analyst put the Tar Heels that high is very interesting.

But they are just rankings for a reason and UNC has to go out and prove they are one of the top teams.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire : UNC basketball lands in Rothstein’s 45 for beginning of season