Anticipation for college basketball season continues to build in Chapel Hill, with UNC most-recently announcing its preseason exhibition broadcast schedule.
North Carolina enters a new era under longtime NBA head coach Michael Malone, who's already turning heads with his impressive recruiting abilities. The Tar Heels will have a new-look roster once again, upgraded primarily through the transfer portal, while returning a couple key players from their 2025-26 squad.
In his rankings of the best collegiate players, based on their positional archetypes, CBS Sports college basketball writer Isaac Trotter included Matt Able, Neoklis Avdalas, Terrence Brown and Jarin Stevenson.
Avdalas and Brown are characterized as combo guards, Able is listed as a shooting
guard, while Stevenson is classified as a stretch four.
All four of the aforementioned Tar Heels are expected to be starters this coming season, with Stevenson the lone returner. A Chapel Hill native who transferred in from Alabama ahead of UNC's 25-26 campaign, Stevenson is ready to build on a career-best junior year, during which he averaged 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Here are the best players in college basketball split into nine positional archetypes as the first official practices get underway.
— Isaac Trotter (@Isaac__Trotter) September 21, 2026
This is tailored to college impact. Included the five-in-five seniors, for now. pic.twitter.com/WEh1Nw8Lz0
Able took a rare path to Chapel Hill, transferring in from rival NC State. In 34 games off the bench, Able averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Brown is arguably the most intriguing of North Carolina's offseason additions, as he averaged a team-best 19.9 points on a struggling Utah squad last year. With a career percentage of 44%, Brown will be counted on plenty for his high scoring volume.
Avdalas started all 31 games for Virginia Tech last season, averaging 12.1 points and 4.6 assists per game. With his listed 6'9" frame, Avdalas will likely be asked to play any position 1-5 for Malone.
Can Stevenson and three of his newest teammates be the main reasons behind UNC's success this year?
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Four UNC basketball stars ranked amongst college basketball's best
