North Carolina ranked No. 1 in inaugural AP Poll

The UNC basketball program will debut as the nation's No. 1 team against UNC-Wilmington on November 7th.

Bob Donnan/USA Today Sports

With North Carolina returning four starters from last season's National Runner-Up finish and Northwestern transfer Pete Nance joining the Tar Heels, they earned the No. 1 spot in the first AP Poll of the season.

Preseason AP #1 for the tenth time. Most ever 🙌

🔗: https://t.co/xugS4GfHnv pic.twitter.com/Ev0o5jqxLF

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) October 17, 2022

Armando Bacot, who will contend for the ACC and National Player of the Year award, headlines a North Carolina roster that brings back Caleb Love, R.J. Davis, and fifth-year senior Leaky Black.

Experience will be a key for the Tar Heels this season, with Love and Davis being the youngest starters for Hubert Davis, as they enter their junior campaign.

According to ESPN's Bryan Ives, this is North Carolina's 10th time ranked as preseason AP No. 1, a college basketball record. The last preseason No. 1 team to win the National Championship was the 2008-2009 Tar Heels, 

Houston, Gonzaga, and Kentucky round out the top four, with Duke (7th) and Virginia (16th) as the only other ACC schools to appear in the rankings.

North Carolina will participate in a secret scrimmage against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights this weekend before opening up the season against UNC-Wilmington on Nov. 7th.