The North Carolina Tar Heels received a few votes, but ultimately were unranked in the preseason AP Top 25.

The Florida Gators topped the charts, but a team UNC knows a thing or two about, the Duke Blue Devils, weren't too far behind at No. 2.

UNC may not be ranked, but they still have a bit of noise surrounding them with the 2026-27 college basketball season rapidly approaching.

In total, UNC received 20 votes, and that makes them the No. 30 team in the nation.

Other un-ranked teams who received votes includes: Missouri (161), Nebraska (70), Purdue (53), and Ohio State (39).

Now that the preseason AP Top 25 is out, it's always fun to revisit the schedule as it shows exactly where UNC can make up ground.

Obviously, some of the ranked teams aren't going to stay in the top 25 forever, and that's where a fast start from the Tar Heels opens the door.

Newly minted head coach Michael Malone has a chance to prove those 20 voters right, and on paper, UNC shouldn't lose any of their first seven games.

All of which are against unranked opponents, and it's extremely important that they don't take those non-conference games for granted, but it's hard to find a team that could take them down until the calendar flips to December.

UNC isn't projected to play a ranked team until Tuesday, Dec. 1 when No. 12 Arkansas comes to town. 

The Tar Heels begin their season with six straight home games before a neutral site matchup against West Virginia, but then they come right back home to take on the Razorbacks.

That said, Arkansas is far from the only ranked opponent on the Tar Heels schedule.

As always, these rankings are subject to change throughout the year, especially knowing a team like No. 14 Miami is ranked in the preseason poll, but UNC doesn't play them until late February.

Other than Arkansas and Miami, UNC can circle the following games on its calendar: No. 23 Kentucky, No. 11 Louisville, No. 9 Virginia, No. 3 Illinois, and No. 2 Duke.

UNC will play the Cardinals and Blue Devils twice, but those are the only ranked teams they'll have to worry about more than once in the regular season.

Officially, the Tar Heels begin the season on Monday, Nov. 2 against Western Carolina.