UNC women’s basketball is No. 18 in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll in the first poll of 2026.
The Tar Heels (13-4, 2-2 ACC) saw a four-game winning streak, which included wins against Boston College and California, end in a 77-71 overtime loss to Stanford on Sunday, Jan. 4, inside Carmichael Auditorium.
Advertisement
UNC will try to get back on track in a top-25 game against No. 25 Notre Dame (10-4, 2-2) on Sunday, Jan. 11, in South Bend. That game tips off at 1 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.
No. 11 Louisville (14-3, 4-0) is the only other ACC team in the coaches poll. Here’s a breakdown of where the Tar Heels are in the latest rankings before 2026.
Women’s college basketball rankings, Jan. 6
Here’s a look at UNC women’s basketball rankings across several polls as of Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025.
USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball poll
The USA TODAY Sports Top 25 women’s basketball poll is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. First-place votes in parentheses.
Advertisement
UNC basketball ranking in AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll
UNC is No. 22 in the AP poll. The Tar Heels dropped six spots.
UNC women’s basketball NET ranking
The Tar Heels are currently 18th in the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings. Through 17 games, UNC has an 0-3 record in Quadrant 1 games and a 13-1 mark in Quadrants 2-4. Breaking down the quadrant system, home games against teams ranked from No. 1-30, neutral-site games against teams ranked No. 1-50 and away games against opponents ranked No. 1-75 are considered Q1 chances.
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to rbaxley@usatodayco.com.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC women’s basketball rankings, Tar Heels in polls on Jan. 6