UNC Basketball: Tar Heels earn top 10 ranking via ESPN

Where does UNC’s Basketball team rank in ESPN’s Way too early updated rankings for 2016-17?

It’s October.

That means the College Basketball season is just around the corner as practice has officially begun for teams.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are coming off a heart-breaking loss in the 2016 National Championship Game, losing on a buzzer-beater to Villanova. But they are back for some revenge.

UNC brings back seniors Isaiah Hicks, Kennedy Meeks and Nate Britt along with starters Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson. Role players Theo Pinson, Luke Maye and Kenny Williams are also back.

They also welcome in a top 10 recruiting class highlighted by Tony Bradley Jr.

For the Tar Heels, they have a mission to reach the Final Four again but this time win it all. That all starts in the preseason.

On Thursday, ESPN college basketball writer Eamonn Brennan released his updated “Way too early” Top 25 rankings. The Tar Heels were ranked number 6 in Brennan’s previous set of rankings that were released in May.

Months later, the Tar Heels remain there.

Brennan has the Tar Heels sixth behind Duke (No. 1), Kentucky (No. 2), Kansas (No. 3), Villanova (No. 4) and Virginia (No. 5).

Here’s what Brennan said about the Tar Heels:

In case you worried that North Carolina fans were rendered cynical by the events of April 4, 2016 — or that they had been converted, en masse, by the football-related doings of Oct. 2 — fear not.The Tar Heel faithful look plenty fired up from here. And they should be! Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson may be gone, but Joel Berry II, Justin Jackson, Isaiah Hicks, Theo Pinson and Kennedy Meeks (among others) are still very much in the building, making UNC one of 2016-17’s best blends of sheer talent and hard-won experience. What’s not to like?

It’s tough to argue against Duke’s monster recruiting class as they are the favorites to win it all this season. But I think UNC will be better than Virginia and the ACC will come down to the Tar Heels and Blue Devils.

Sixth isn’t bad as the Tar Heels still have to prove they can win without Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, who both went to the NBA Drat.

The Tar Heels will host their annual Late Night With Roy event on Oct. 14 and will play their first official game on Nov. 11 in New Orleans against Tulane.

Check back for our Basketball Preview beginning in the next week!