In three months, North Carolina basketball will be at Allen Fieldhouse to play Kansas in one of the premier early-season matchups of the college basketball season.
Entering the early stretch of August, it appears the Tar Heels are set with their 2024-25 roster, which includes returning starters Elliot Cadeau and RJ Davis.
Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin, Belmont transfer Cade Tyson and three freshmen — Drake Powell, Ian Jackson and James Brown — are among the newcomers in Hubert Davis’ fourth season as head coach.
But it’s never too early to look ahead at who’s in the mix to join the Tar Heels ahead of the 2025-26 season. Here’s an update on six of UNC’s targets in the 2025 class.
AJ Dybantsa has UNC basketball among final seven schools
The No. 1 overall player in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, AJ Dybantsa recently trimmed his list to seven schools. On his Instagram page, Dybantsa revealed Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, Kansas, Kansas State and UNC as the programs still in the running to land his services. As of early August, Auburn has been the lone visit for the 6-foot-8 forward, who transferred to Utah Prep for his senior season and could be the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. But the Tar Heels are very much still in the mix.
Jasper Johnson down to five schools, including UNC
UNC sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau and freshman forward James Brown went to Link Academy before joining the Tar Heels. Jasper Johnson could be next in line. Listed at No. 10 in the 247Sports Composite, Johnson is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Kentucky. He took an official visit to Chapel Hill in February and returned for an unofficial visit in late June before cutting his list to five schools in late July. Alabama, Kentucky and UNC are considered the favorites to land Johnson.
Niko Bundalo among Tar Heels’ targets in post
A top-25 recruit in the 2025 class, according to the 247Sports Composite, 6-foot-11 forward Niko Bundalo recently cut his list to eight schools. In addition to UNC, Michigan State, Kentucky, Ohio State, Pitt, Texas, UConn and Xavier made the cut. According to 247Sports, Bundalo is scheduled to visit the Tar Heels in October. The top-ranked player in Ohio, who received a scholarship offer from UNC in late June, also has visits set for UConn, Michigan State and Ohio State.
Acaden Lewis is among UNC’s top guard prospects
One of the top point guards in the 2025 class, Acaden Lewis has UNC among his final eight schools. Lewis, a combo guard from the D.C., visited Chapel Hill in June and is set for an official visit in October. A rising star in his class, Lewis went from just inside the top 100 of 247Sports’ rankings to closing in on the top 25.
Malachi Moreno to visit UNC in September
A 6-foot-11 center, Malachi Moreno is the top-ranked player in Kentucky. Listed among the top 25 recruits in the 2025 class by 247Sports, Moreno, who picked up an offer from UNC in late May, is scheduled to visit the Tar Heels in mid-September. Moreno is considering seven other programs.
Derek Dixon has Tar Heels on final list
A four-star combo guard from D.C. similar to Lewis, Derek Dixon has UNC among his final six schools. Fellow ACC programs Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia are also in the mix for Dixon. Listed as a top-60 player in the 247Sports Composite, the 6-foot-3 guard received a scholarship offer from the Heels in late May. He’s set to take an official visit in September.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at [email protected] or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball recruiting: AJ Dybantsa, other targets for Tar Heels
